Back to Jimbocho’s books and coffee | Review of Satoshi Yagisawa’s ‘More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop’, translated by Eric Ozawa

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Jimbocho is full of charm and excitement. There’s no other place like it in the world,” says young Takako in Satoshi Yagisawa’s More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, translated from the Japanese by Eric Ozawa. The tiny neighbourhood in Tokyo is known for its bookstores and cosy cafes, and is popular with tourists and residents alike.

If the first book, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, took us along on Takako’s journey, discovering her love for reading as she builds a relationship with her uncle who runs the family’s beloved Morisaki bookshop, the much-hyped sequel delves deeper into familial roots and ties, while navigating grief.

Three years have passed since Takako worked at the bookshop and she is now a designer in the city. But, she keeps coming back to Jimbocho — to visit the bookshop, to spend time with her uncle and aunt, grab a cup of coffee at her favourite cafe, Saveur, and to catch up with her boyfriend, Wada.

She also bonds with Sabu, a frequent customer, forms a stronger friendship with Tomo, who used to work at Saveur, and even helps Takano, another employee, in his quest for love. Takako is now more receptive to all that Jimbocho has to offer, including the bookshop’s many visitors and her uncle’s favourite cushion named Roy.

Joy of reading

The strength of a book such as this lies in its descriptiveness, its ability to transport the reader to the world between its pages. Yagisawa’s words bring alive large stacks of second-hand books, the sunlight streaming into the cramped yet charming bookshop, the perfume of the olive blossoms on Sakura Street.

They also capture the unbridled joy of finding and reading the perfect book. Everyone in this world eats, breathes and sleeps books; must-reads are constantly traded between characters, and we see how important a place the bookshop occupies in their lives. And when the Morisaki family grapples with the passing away of a family member, they too turn to books and the bookshop eventually, to honour their beloved’s memory.

Stepping into the world of the Morisaki bookshop yet again feels like comfort with a dose of perspective.

poorvaja.sundar@thehindu.co.in