The Library of Unrequited Love by Sophie DivryMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
One morning a librarian finds a reader who has been locked in overnight. She begins to talk to him, a one-way conversation full of sharp insight and quiet outrage. As she rails against snobbish senior colleagues, an ungrateful and ignorant public, the strictures of the Dewey Decimal System and the sinister expansionist conspiracies of the books themselves, two things shine through: her unrequited passion for a researcher named Martin, and an ardent and absolute love for the arts. A delightful divertissement for the discerning bookworm...
I am a big fan of short stories and this is exactly what this book is. It is every short, just over 90 pages which makes it perfect for you to be able to read in a single sitting. I took the book along to an appointment I had to attend and I finished it while I was there. This makes it great for reading in a lunch time at work or during a train journey. This book is very different to anything I have read before.
The book doesn't have any chapters in it, which for me I personally didn't like. Although I was intending to read this in one sitting, when I had to stop say to go to the loo I found it had to find a place I could stop in. There weren't even any line breaks I could use as a guide to where I was in the book and this was a disappointment for me.
The other thing about this book is the narration in it. The story is about a librarian who turns up for work and discovers someone in the library and who has been there all night. It is a one sided conversation she has with them. I would have liked to find out about the 'squatter' in the library but unfortunately we never hear their voice. I can't even tell you their name as we don't ever find out. There is a lot of mystery surrounding the person in the basement for me anyway! I want to know who they are, why they are there and whether they are male or female? These points to me make the story an unusual one.
We do however learn about the narrator and as time goes on through the book we can discover her personality. There are times when she is very funny. Anyone who has a love for books would be able to connect easily with the narrator as she describes her love of books and how they make her feel, which I am sure fellow bookworms would easily agree with her.
I don't want to say a lot about the plot as it is so short and wouldn't like to give much away.
This is a book to pack away with you for your journey or just in your bag for while your are working, I would say remember to take a bookmark though as it does have no chapters! Personally I did enjoy the book but not as much as I had expected and I think this was down to the lack of chapters and how little we know about the other character. It is however an interesting read and I would say give it a go.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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