The Bookshop Woman

Nanako Hanada, Catriona Anderson

$34.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Octopus
11 June 2024

Biography; Memoirs; Literature, Poetry & Criticism; Dating, relationships, living together & marriage

THE BOOKSHOP WOMAN IS A LOVE STORY, A LOVE STORY ABOUT BOOKS

Nanako Hanada's life has not just flatlined, it's hit rock bottom... Recently separated from her husband, she is living between 4-hour capsule hostels, pokey internet cafes and bookshop floors. Her work is going no better - sales at the eccentric Village Vanguard bookstore in Tokyo, which Nanako manages, are dwindling. As Nanako's life falls apart, reading books is the only thing keeping her alive.

That's until Nanako joins an online meet-up site which offers 30 minutes with someone you'll never see again. Describing herself as a sexy bookseller she offers strangers 'the book that will change their life' in exchange for a meeting. In the year that follows, Nanako meets hundreds of people, some of whom want more than just a book...

Acerbic and self-knowing, The Bookshop Woman is a soul-soothing story of a bookseller's self-discovery and an ode to the joy of reading. Offering a glimpse into bookselling in Japan and the quirky side of Tokyo and its people, this is a story of how books can help us forge connection with others and lead us to ourselves.

This is a story about the beauty of climbing into a book, free diving into its pages, and then resurfacing on the last page, ready to breathe a different kind of air...

By: Nanako Hanada
Translated by: Catriona Anderson
Imprint: Octopus
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 222mm, Width: 138mm,
ISBN: 9781914240775
ISBN 10: 1914240774
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 11 June 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Nanako Hanada (1979-) is a bookseller in Tokyo. Her first book, The Bookshop Woman, was an unexpected uplifting Japanese bestseller which has sold 60,000 copies and was adapted into a TV drama, the royalties allowed Nanako to open up her own bookshop, Kani Books in Tokyo.