A Satisfying Tale

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Webster: penumbra: something that covers, surrounds, or obscures :shroud (a penumbra of secrecy) )a penumbra of somber dignity has descended over his reputation — James Atlas.)

Until this very moment I had no idea what Penumbra meant, but after reading the last line of this book, I decided it had to mean something, and, what a perfect meaning it is.  It only adds to the smile of satisfaction I had when I read the last line of Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore.

I enjoyed every minute that I spent with Mr. Penumbra and his friends. What a mysterious place this bookstore is, and what curious people come to borrow the books from the “waybacklist”. Indeed, Mr. Penumbra’s bookstore is two bookstores in one. There is the bookstore that sells your “normal” books, and there is the “waybacklist” bookstore with books that engage and entice your curiosity. To tell you more would take away from the enigma that is Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore.

You will learn about Penumbra and his bookstore through the voice of Clay Jannon. Clay’s respect and affection for Mr. Penumbra and his friends grows throughout the story. Clay’s friends are intrigued by the bookstore and use their creativity to unravel the riddles that surround the bookstore. They are unique inidividuals who connect with each other through their relationship with Clay, and Clay’s relationship with Penumbra.

Some books just engage us from the first page all the way through to the end. I often speed through a book to find out what’s going to happen next! In my impatience, I will skip to the end and then go back and finish the book. Somehow, I innately knew that reading Penumbra in that way would ruin the story. I didn’t even want to rush through, but instead enjoyed each moment on the page in calm anticipation of what would happen next.  Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore was an entirely satisfying read.

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