Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
by Robin Sloan
★★★★
When
Clay unexpectedly loses his job he finds himself taking a position as a
night clerk at a 24-hour bookstore. He soon realizes the shop is more
unique than he could have guessed. Peculiar individuals come in at all
hours of the night and use the store as a library, checking out obscure
titles. Clay’s curiosity gets the better of him and he begins to
research the history of the store and its quirky owner, Mr. Penumbra.
Sloan does a great job blending
an ancient love of books with the world’s progression towards
technological dependence. In addition to the San Francisco bookstore,
the story is set in a library in New York City and even takes Clay to
Google’s headquarters. The supporting cast of characters, made up of
Clay’s friends, roommates and employers is a mishmash of oddballs. Clay
bonded with his childhood best friend over their shared love of the
fictional fantasy series The Dragon-Song Chronicles. He meets and falls
for a cute Google employee and he admires his mysterious elderly
employer as he gets to know him.
The adventurous book has a lot
in common with Ready Player One, which I loved. Both share a playful
tone, center around a quest and have the same general nerd outlook on
life. The ending of the book is a bit silly, but I can’t imagine how
else it would have ended, so it works if you just suspend your cynicism
and have fun.
BOTTOM LINE: It’s a really
amusing read. The plot is definitely secondary; the focus is on the
geeky characters and their love of books and technology. Just let go and
enjoy the ride.
