Bookstore Girls by Kei Aono (translated by Haydn Trowell)

Ebooks weren’t real books - they were just data. A completely different thing. A bookstore wasn’t simply a place where books were sold - it was a place where customers, publishers and booksellers met, where conversations happened sometimes even clashes. That was how you ended up with something new. It was a place where people connected through books - that was what a bookstore was, and that was why she loved them. (p. 307)

Bookstore Girls is such a satisfying book to read for those of us who love books. Bookstores. And, Japan. In fact, you don’t even need to admire Japan to appreciate this book, which is an ode to books, and readers, everywhere.

Photo credit here.

Japanese bookstores, such as the one pictured above, offer a haven like no other. Yet, Kei Aono gives an insight into the business that may not be widely known. She draws the connections between publishers and booksellers, sales managers and he public, authors and editors. Each provides a vital element to the success of a bookstore.

Through characters which at first, to me, seemed like they jumped out of a soap opera (overly dramatic and shallow), we are given the story of all that goes on behind the scenes. From the petty jealousies, to the romantic liaisons, from competition to advancement, we see the machinations of the book business first hand. By the end of the novel, I have arrived at a new appreciation for its two main characters, Riko and Ali, who have overcome their differences to work toward a mutual goal. 

And, as a blogger, I share in Riki’s early self-reflection:

She wasn’t a literary critic, she didn’t read systemically or in large volumes - ten books a month was her best…There was no way she could compete with professionals, academics, critics and translators often visited the store - what would they think of a clumsy, self-important recommendation tag?  (p. 137)

Yet, maybe, just maybe, we can have a positive influence on advancing the literature we love into the hands of those readers who may appreciate it as well.

Thanks to Pegasus Books for the opportunity to read and review Bookstore Girls, which won the Grand Prize in the “Book I want made into a movie” category at the Shizuoka Bookstore Awards. It has since been adapted for television, and it will be published in the United States on June 2, 2026.