What You Are Looking For Is In The Library

Michiko Aoyama, Allison Watts [Translator] (2020)

I came across this book on The Spinoff's weekly Unity Books sales rankings lists, as it frequently appeared on there. I made use of the fact Spotify Premium now has audiobooks to get through this one, making it the first audiobook I've ever used! Thank god I got it for free from my mobile service provider, lmao. After that price increase, I would not pay out of pocket for it.

Anyway, the concept revolves around the lives of five very different people who all come to a local library in Tokyo for various reasons. All of them come into contact with the librarian, receiving several books on topics they came to the library for, and one book tacked on the end that tackles something more subconscious. I think it was a very fun concept, in all seriousness, especially given that the librarian is always seen doing felting work and giving small felted gifts to patrons. The small ways in which the five central characters are connected was deeply amusing to me as well! Hearing about locations, companies or people that made appearances previously in newer sections was something that made me smile.

Since the characters all go through a similar journey relating to the library, it may feel a tad repetitive to some people. I didn't find it to be this way, personally, because I liked seeing these people from various backgrounds find their way through a visit to the library and come to their own conclusions about what they want their life to be. In general, it's quite lighthearted and an easy read for when you want to relax a little. I enjoyed listening to each characters' take on the world around them— particularly the main character of chapter four, and his periodic manga references! Very fun.

No spoilers for this one, I don't feel the need to discuss it as much. I just found it to be a fun and lighthearted read.

Wilder Girls

Rory Power (2019)

I started reading this book as a way to pass my time on my commutes to and from the inner city after I heard it recommended as a sapphic retelling of Lord of the Flies, and it took me a while to get through due to being so busy.

I feel as though the Lord of the Flies description is a bit of a misnomer. Certainly inspired, but it's not really one-to-one in many regards, in my opinion. The sapphic part was also played up significantly by a lot of reviewers even though it was a more minor thread in the wider plot, but was nonetheless something that drove a lot of the character dynamics and motivations, particularly within the trio of heroines. I feel like this kind of thing is a result of the rise of booktok, categorising stories based on certain points instead of their main plot. Annoying, but that has no bearing on the quality of the book itself.

To give a brief, spoiler-free summary of how I feel about it: I personally rather enjoyed this book and found it to be a neat read while travelling around. Not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but still something that very much caught my attention due to the setting, immersion and fascinating (almost topical, given that it was released prior to the global pandemic) manner in which Power frames the events through the eyes of teen girls. Characters were a little hard to relate to at times, but that's par for the course when you're an adult reading something marketed as YA literature— it is something I definitely would've been incredibly eager to talk about while I was still in high school and having messy homosexual relationships of my own, though.

Would not recommend this text to those who are particularly weak to body horror, death and gore, or those who want a lighthearted and fun read. If that's something you're keen on, then go for it.

Spoilers I think the biggest complaint I've seen people have with this text is the fact that the ending is ambiguous and leaves a lot unanswered. I can't say I agree with this. Maybe this is just me being a bit pretentious since I personally enjoy studying forms of literature which make use of non-linear timelines and non-cemented endings, but I think the fact that many threads being left untied at the end isn't necessarily a bad thing, and in fact add depth to the story. I'll be honest, did we really need to sit there and have our hands held through a detailed explanation about curing the Tox? Do we really need to know every last detail of what happened once the girls reached the mainland, and about the girls who were left? I think the imagery of the three of them adrift at sea in their little boat, reunited once more after going through hell, is sturdy enough as an ending on its own. If anything, it almost reads like a metaphor for becoming a woman to me— going through some of the most horrific changes in your life that can make you painfully aware of your body in relation to others, only to come out bloodied and adrift with a fraction of the friends you'd made during your time on that metaphorical island of girlhood. Though, I might just be reading into it too hard. This IS YA lit, after all.

I also don't particularly care for Teddy or the fact he was romantically involved with one of our female leads, but I found the way in which Byatt became attached to him during her time as a test subject to be incredibly fascinating. Clinging to someone who (seems to) understand you, only to have them torn away due to severe illness, is a heart wrenching thing to go through for someone who must've been as lonely as Byatt at that point in the story. I do also like that their relationship was used as a way to somewhat tip-off the audience as to what the Tox truly is. The trail of crumbs left throughout the text about the Tox's nature and what the Navy/CDC are up to is really neat too, and Welch's treatment as a red herring to throw the reader off the trail of the Headmistress was pretty clever.