The Bookshop of Yesterdays

Blurb:
A woman inherits a beloved bookstore and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery in this poignant debut about family, forgiveness and a love of reading.
Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric Uncle Billy’s bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on Miranda’s twelfth birthday, Billy has a mysterious falling-out with her mother and suddenly disappears from Miranda’s life. She doesn’t hear from him again until sixteen years later when she receives unexpected news: Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy—and one final scavenger hunt.

Thoughts:
Set largely in a bookstore, this charming novel by Amy Meyerson deals with identity, truth, and forgiveness. It is part drama and part mystery based on a family’s complicated past.

Although you might easily solve the mystery, the way it is done in the book is endearing and entertaining. The riddles, slowly solved by Miranda, are crafted creatively. 

The behaviour of some of the characters irritated me but I think they are pretty much like people in real life. So, I could overlook that and concentrate on the story. 

It is quite evident that Meyerson loves books and reading. The book is full of references to classic and popular books, such as The Tempest, Jane Eyre, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Frankenstein, Fear of Flying, Persuasion, The Grapes of Wrath, and Bridge to Terabithia. 

It also reminds you of the impact independent book stores have on readers and the community in general.