Takako is a young woman who experiences a painful break-up and quits her job. She moves in with her uncle Satoru, who runs a second-hand bookshop in Tokyo’s Jimbocho district. Initially indifferent to reading, Takako gradually finds solace and inspiration in the stacks of books, leading her to reevaluate her life and relationships. She also gets to know her uncle and his wife, who had left him for five years, only to reappear from one day to the next. A very sweet story about how books can save and even enrich our lives.
“There’s one thing I want you to promise me,” he said first as a preamble. Then he said, “Don’t be afraid to love someone. When you fall in love, I want you to fall in love all the way. Even if it ends in heartache, please don’t live a lonely life without love. I’ve been so worried that because of what happened you’ll give up on falling in love. Love is wonderful. I don’t want you to forget that. Those memories of people you love, they never disappear. They go on warming your heart as long as you live. When you get old like me, you’ll understand. How about it can you promise me?”
Original Title : 森崎書店の日々 / Morisaki shoten no hibi
Translated from Japanese
Read and listened to as an audiobook