Michiko Aoyama - What You Are Looking For is in the Library

What are you looking for?
So asks Tokyo's most enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi. She is no ordinary librarian. Naturally, she has read every book on her shelf, but she also has the unique ability to read the souls of anyone who walks through her door. Sensing exactly what they're looking for in life, she provides just the book recommendation they never knew they needed to help them find it.
Every borrower in her library is at a different crossroads, from the restless retail assistant - can she ever get out of a dead-end job? - to the juggling new mother who dreams of becoming a magazine editor, and the meticulous accountant who yearns to own an antique store. The surprise book Komachi lends to each will change their lives for ever.
Which book will you recommend?

Comment: I've picked up this book at the library mostly because I like books with or about libraries and also because I had seen some mentions of this book on my GR feed so the curiosity was already there.

In a small community center somewhere in Tokyo there are opportunities for everyone to learn or study something and, to help with that, a small library whose main librarian seems to know exactly what the reader is looking for, also adding an extra suggestion which will change the reader's life. At first, it seems nothing would come out of it for each request, but everyone who seeks the library finds a way to reach their goal and to also gain a lesson for life. What everyone has in common is the library but will they all have the perseverance to go after their dreams?

In this story we meet five different narrators, each with a personal reason to use the library. By doing so, they not only discover what they are looking for in terms of specific titles, but they need to interact with the main librarian, who always asks them the same question "what are you looking for?". Obviously, this is more pertinent than a simple inquiry over books, it can be seen as a metaphor for life. Thus, the book is divided into five parts, each with a specific main character, although some might mix up here and there in their personal quests.

It seems to me that in recent times, I've read several books by Japanese authors or set in Japan and all made me think that things in Japan are definitely different, and I don't mean the cultural or social aspects, which clearly are different from the European ones. I'm specifically thinking about how the fiction stories are written (more so if by Japanese authors) because the feeling I have is that they all share this unique way of storytelling, and they all convey any message in a sort of impartial way. Could it be that people in Japan - out of stereotyping - all behave in that seemingly simple but stoic manner?

All five narrators seem resigned to their lives and choices when they decide to look for the library. At first, it feels something simple for them, just a way to search for information about themes they might need or that they are interested in, but it soon proves that the single act of looking for the library is enough to cause a change. I would not go as far as to say that there is any "magic" in this experience, but at times it does feel some situations might have caused by the librarian's question and the motivation behind it.

Each narrator provides an interesting story and is at a different stage in their lives. I don't think I liked anyone in particular because the writing makes everything seem a little superficial in regards to characterization, but I was curious to see what kind of lessons they would take from the books they requested. Well, actually, from the changes caused because they looked for the books, because nothing really special happened just from them reading those books. For instance, the first narrator wants to learn about Excel because she wants more skills to apply to better jobs, but finds out any job can be rewarding, if done with ethics and genuine interest.

Portuguese cover

All the lessons the characters learn are kind of simple and predictable. I kind of wish there had been more about the library and more scenes set there, but the focus is more on the steps the characters take than because they took them starting at the library. In a way, this book, like others I've read set in Japan, feel a little childish, in the sense that the message is quite basic and there isn't much I needed to infer nor learn. The style is very charming, yes, but not very.... challenging either. That aside, it was still easy to read the book and some situations were quite captivating anyway.

Since this is a small book, I'd say this is suitable for those moments when we are between reads and need something cozier and/or less demanding to cleanse the palate. Of course, depending on where one is in life, or what kind of distractions one might have, this book can have the exact same goal the story implies: one way for people to read about possibilities and then it could be the starting point for change too. Does it work for me? Not completely, but it was still an entertaining read.

There is something to be said about the apparent innocent message in the background: libraries are places of learning and connection, but they offer a safe heaven for those who need to get more than knowledge, it's a way to bring people closer and for them to believe there are others who will understand and help. Sometimes, that can be the best things happening to us.

Grade:7/10