Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

How does Building Community to Combat Loneliness change Takako’s outlook on life and her place at the Morisaki Bookshop? How does the novel explore the nature and value of community more generally?

There are many secondary characters in the novel who play very important roles in influencing Takako. How do characters like Sabu, Tomo, and Takano change or influence Takako’s view of love, and how do they help her enter a new phase of her life?

Hideaki and Wada are the two love interests of Takako in Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. Compare and contrast the two men. How is each man characterized? How do they represent different types of romantic love?

Pick one piece of literature referenced in the novel. What perspectives does Satoshi Yagisawa offer about it?

Satoru and Momoko are both role models for Takako. How do their different outlooks on life and histories influence Takako and prepare her for her future?

Examine the role of setting in Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. How are settings like the bookshop, the coffee shop, and/or the mountain inn described? What is their wider significance in the text?

Many characters in the novel have their hearts broken by the people around them. How does the novel explore various forms of heartbreak and loss? What are the differences and similarities of these experiences?

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is sometimes considered part of the genre of Japanese “healing literature.” Compare and contrast it with another novel from the genre, such as Before the Coffee Gets Cold. What key themes and literary techniques do the two novels share? How does each one conform to, or diverge from, common tropes in the genre?