by The Scholar Reviews
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| (source: Indigo.com) |
“Lost in the shadows of the shelves, I almost fall off the ladder.” These are the words that open up my all-time favourite book, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, by Robin Sloan. This book is a masterpiece, well written with an excellent storyline and characters. The following review will go over basic information about the story and characters as well as where the book can be purchased and my personal thoughts on it. So without further ado, let us dive in.
Mr. Penumbra is not a difficult book to find. It is available in a variety of formats and prices. It is available on the Kindle ($9.99) and at Indigo and Chapters ($16.99 in store and $10.19 online) It is also available on Audible ($17 if not a member and $11.90 or 1 Credit if a member) The book is 304 pages long, and the audiobook (narrated by Ari Fliakos) is 7 hours and 41 minutes long.
I first encountered this book in its audiobook format, and immediately fell in love with it. This book is meant to be read aloud. Ari Fliakos does an incredible job with his narration, bringing the world of the book alive with his voice. It is written in first person, and consequently there is an interesting rhythm to the book's pacing, often building in speed and intensity and then dropping abruptly as the protagonist reconnects with the real world and drops out of his inner monologue. The writing itself is similar to the way a person would talk to a good friend. It’s casual, often referring to itself as if the book doubts what it is telling you is true or accurate.
The basic plot of this book is fairly simple, but it is executed in such a fabulous way that it becomes something else entirely. The main character, Clay Janen, has recently lost his job as a web-designer due to The Great Recession, and following a series of coincidences, becomes a clerk at quite possibly the strangest bookstore in San Francisco. This bookstore is frequented by a group of strange, elderly people who periodically “check out” impossibly obscure books. As Clay tries to untangle the web of secrets surrounding the bookstore, he falls headlong into a mystery that takes him far beyond the walls of the bookstore.
Part of the reason the book is so enthralling is the colourful cast of characters that populate its world. Clay is the protagonist and narrator of the story. He is by all definitions of the word, a nerd. He enjoys video games and books, and even plays a blatant copyright-skirting ripoff of Dungeons and Dragons. The character is very enjoyable, and his view of the world often bleeds through in his narration.
My personal opinions on this book are pretty clear. I absolutely 100% adore this book. It’s quirky, well written, and extremely entertaining, with great characters and a fantastic plot. If I had to come up with a criticism it would probably be that the book’s transitions could use a little work. It was originally a short story, and the transition from the end of that story to the rest of the book is a touch sudden. But other then that, this book scores 10/10.
