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August was supposed to be a month of middle-grade fiction but, somehow, I’ve managed to transition into translated fiction instead. After reading We Had To Remove This Post I picked up this baby. I’ve not had it very long but I’ve been itching to read it. I’m an absolute sucker for cute Japanese fiction and this one had books. There’s one thing guaranteed to get bookish people excited and that’s books about books. Any novel that places reading at its centre is going to be a big hit. Or at least it should be. I guess there was a possibility that I could have hated this. A slim chance but still a chance.

 I started to have doubts about this book when I saw it being compared to The Midnight Library. I’ve decided that Matt Haig really isn’t a writer that I’m ever going to enjoy, so I wasn’t too keen to read something too similar. Of course, I shouldn’t have worried. What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is basically Before the Coffee Gets Cold but with books. It’s split into 5 sections where we are introduced to a different character at an emotional crossroads. These are characters who are unfulfilled or have gone through a recent change in their lives. They are looking for something but they don’t know what that is. Luckily, they all stumble into a library at a local community centre. There they meet the mysterious librarian who recommends a book for them. What are the chances that the book she picks is the key to their problems?

For a start, this book is so easy to read. One of the things that I love about books like this is that they are slightly formulaic but not in a bad way. It sets the pattern and gives the book its own rhythm. You look for the signs each time you start a new part. It’s comforting and gives the book an air of familiarity. You can just let the stories wash over you because you know the setup each time. Despite the basic narrative structure, the people we meet are all pretty different. There’s the young woman stuck working in a department store, the man who dreams of opening his own antique shop, the new mother who has been sidelined at work, the 30-year-old man who’s never had a real job and the man who has just started his retirement. Each of them is relatable and unique. Yet they all share an experience with the librarian.

A librarian who mostly remains a mystery. We hear a lot about her physical appearance, which is quite daunting. However, there’s very little about her life outside of the library. Just as it should be. The librarian facilitates but she is not the important figure here. It’s not about the books; it’s about the reader. There is obviously a slightly magical element to this book but, again, that’s not important here. This is a book about reading. A book that celebrates the idea that a person is able to bring meaning to a book and not the other way around. A book in one person’s hand could be completely different in another’s. The power of a book doesn’t lie in its pages but in the mind of the person holding it. The people we meet here aren’t saved by a book ut how they interpret the book in relation to their situation. 

This isn’t a groundbreaking book. It’s a simple premise with a simple approach. However, it’s an enjoyable book. It’s full of charm and happiness. It’s a book that is so full of hope that you feel slightly more invincible after reading it. What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is a book that is about the human experience. There is so much humanity here that it doesn’t matter how simple it is. I felt like I could relate to most of the characters here. Maybe each of them in their own way. Just like the readers in the stories, you can take what you want from this book. I decided to take joy and contentment. Books don’t have to change the world to change your world. This isn’t a book for literary people. This isn’t a book for people who crave endless plot twists. This is a book for book lovers.