Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

by Robin Sloan

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2014 DEBUT CATEGORY - KITCHIES PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2013 IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY AWARDS

A New York Times bestseller, Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore is an entirely charming and lovable first novel of mysterious books and dusty bookshops; it is a witty and delightful love-letter to both the old book world and the new.

Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a Web-design drone and serendipity coupled with sheer curiosity has landed him a new job working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. And it doesn't take long for Clay to realize that the quiet, dusty book emporium is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few fanatically committed customers, but they never seem to actually buy anything, instead they simply borrow impossibly obscure volumes perched on dangerously high shelves, all according to some elaborate arrangement with the eccentric proprietor. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he has plugged in his laptop, roped in his friends (and a cute girl who works for Google) and embarked on a high-tech analysis of the customers' behaviour. What they discover is an ancient secret that can only be solved by modern means, and a global-conspiracy guarded by Mr. Penumbra himself... who has mysteriously disappeared.

• ISBN10: 0374708835
• ISBN13: 9780374708832
• Publish Date: 2 October 2012 (first published 26 September 2012)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

It was weird and intriguing. I genuinely wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery. Then I made it halfway through and found out the goal of the club. Immortality? No thanks Just killed all motivation and desire to continue.

I wanted to like the book more than I did. I did finish it and it kept me interested enough but it lacked something for me. I found some of the characters annoying and it did seem a bit juvenile. I struggled between giving this 2 stars or 3 so it's something in the middle. I liked it enough to give it an ok rating. Sometimes I read a book for something light and fun and sometimes I want something to stick with me. This is an ok summer read, quick, light and easy. I just wish it had a little something more. Solving the mystery was almost too easy and not enough tension.

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

"What do you seek in these shelves?" Ajax Penumbra

My first thoughts after finishing, "I want Mr. Penumbra's Bookstore to be real."

This book had been languishing on my shelves for awhile. We purchased it during a buy 2, get 1 free paperback deal at Barnes and Noble. We had two books, needed a third when my husband grabbed "Mr. Penumbra" off the table and said, "This sounds like one you would read."

I took the opportunity to listen to the audiobook (thanks to my library) and finish it by reading the physical copy I owned. On my Friday commute, I left the book at somewhat of a cliffhanger and just felt I couldn't wait until Monday to finish it.

The book is about one recent college grad's quest for purpose and meaning in his life. He finds it in Mr. Penumbra's Bookstore in the most unconventional way. As a person who has often wondered what my purpose is in life, I enjoyed Clay's journey. The story was full of geek and bookish references that had me reading passages out loud to my husband and marking up my physical copy with post-it flags.

"Penumbra sells used books, and they are in such excellent condition that they might as well be new. He buys them during the day—you can only sell to the man with his name on the windows—and he must be a tough customer. He doesn't seem to pay much attention to the bestseller lists. His inventory is eclectic; there's no evidence of pattern or purpose, other than, I suppose, his own personal taste. So, no teenage wizards or vampire police here." Clay Jannon

The narration of the audiobook was well done. Ari Fliakos had different voices for all the crazy characters Clay encounters. He captured Clay's internal monologues in a way that was reminiscent of J.D. from Scrubs. Ari's voice brought Sloan's words to life and made the Bookstore and its frequent visitors real for the few short weeks I was listening to the novel.

"I've never listened to an audiobook before, I have to say, it's a totally different experience. When you read a book, the story definitely happens inside your head. When you listen, it seems to happen in a little cloud all around it, like a fuzzy knit cap pulled down over your eyes..."
Clay Jannon

If you are a book lover, a seeker of the meaning of life or a fan of mysteries, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore should be on your to-read list. It's a lighthearted mystery about friendships and the quest of immortality.

This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews.

[Kait ✨]

Essentially, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore chronicles Clay’s discovery of a cult-like society that centres on books. It’s an incredibly exciting story that reads like an adventure novel; one of my favourite Booktubers, Ariel Bissett, called it “National Treasure for book lovers.” It’s happy and uplifting and fun.

One thing I absolutely loved was the randomness of the book. Part of it is Clay’s hunt to find the answers about Penumbra’s secret society: each step of the way he has to figure out or learn something new. But more than that, Sloan is always introducing such random concepts to the storyline, which makes it so fresh and fun. You’ll never know what to expect when you turn the page.

Continue reading my review on my blog, Bookish Comforts.

[tellemonstar]

Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is a book for book lovers and lovers of the history of type. It’s well written and takes the reader on an incredible journey filled with an epic quest, a conspiracy and secrets to unravel.

I really enjoyed this book. There were a few times when it was a little slow going, which is why I’m giving it a 4-star review, not a 5-star, but it’s a very well-written entertaining story. I really liked how Robin Sloan kept the content of the story current to the modern day world by including things like Google (a big part of the plot is based at Google’s San Francisco headquarters) and computer animation, but managed to keep the older parts such as the books and the original type-face relevant as well.

This is a hard book to review without giving away the secrets of the plot, but suffice to say that our main character Clay must help to unravel a centuries old secret, and by doing so could change the course of history as we know it – or just change the course of history for a select group.There are several mysteries to solve, and to glean information from as Clay’s journey – from becoming Mr Penumbra’s employee to the final pages of the story – takes you on a interesting and well-researched ride.

If you enjoy contemporary fiction, or enjoyed the storytelling of the Night Circus but could do without the magic, I think you’d enjoy this. Even if you are just a book lover I would suggest giving this a try. It’s not going to be everybody’s piece of cake, but those that do enjoy this style will really enjoy Mr Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore.

See full review here

[MurderByDeath]

I loved this book! I was drawn to this book by the bookstore setting and the strange, secret behaviour of the customers. But what a great tale that unfolded! I really enjoyed this book and really appreciated that the author was able to write a compelling story with a really great message at the end without any angst, drama, or tear jerking. This feat is what got that 5th star out of me, as I really dislike books that rely on emotional manipulation to get their point across.

I love printed books but my career is in technology, so I particularly enjoyed the way bleeding edge tech and Old Books were blended in this story, and how the author managed to convey that each had it's place in our current and future world; one does not have to replace the other. He did a very credible job of writing the tech in such a way that I believe most anyone can not only understand it but appreciate the beauty of data manipulation.

The characters throughout the book are always held a bit at arms length, but it doesn't detract from knowing that the main players are likeable, sympathetic - people you'd like to know in your 'real' life. All in all there just wan't anything I didn't really, truly enjoy about this book and I read the whole thing in one go. This will be a book I re-read and enjoy all over again in the future.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

Clay Jannon is a 26 year old who finds himself looking for a new job thanks to the economic meltdown. He finds it at Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, working the late shift. But Clay soon finds out that there is more to this bookstore than the question of how it is possible it remains in business. Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore will take you on a literary adventure of complex codes and a global conspiracy.

This will be a hard book to review without giving away any spoilers but I will try my best. Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore starts off as an exciting mystery when Clay begins his new job and is faced with a lot of unanswered questions. But I soon found myself being bored with what was happening and almost quit. It did change its gears when Clay has found out what is going on and the adventure begins. Though I think it was a little too late to fully revive this novel for me.

I do like the way Robin Sloan blended mystery and literature together but honestly he really lacks the skills to turn this into something as good as The Shadow of the Wind. I will say that the novel does display a glimpse at a possibly great career. I found myself thinking the adventure elements of this book were too generic and predictable but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy reading it.

There is a love story in the novel but it wasn’t a romance between Clay and Kat. Sure that was there, but that was just a predictable boy meets girl and nothing ever goes wrong with their relationship. That isn’t worth mentioning, the love story I’m talking about is the love that author Robin Sloan has with Google; the whole book reads like a love letter to Google. The characters didn’t have to try and solve anything; they just need Google to solve all the mysteries of this book.

I haven’t mentioned the characters in the book because they felt very one dimensional; there was nothing complex about them and everything felt too neat. Sloan might have a career in thriller adventure novels but I think he really needs to learn how to make the characters flawed and realistic. I’m sure if another book of Sloan’s catches my attention I will read it but Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore failed to excite me the way it should have. I like books about books but maybe my expectations were a little too high.

This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2013/01/16/book-review-mr-penumbras-24-hour-bookstore/