2.5 stars
After taking a leave of absence for her mental health, Darcy returns to her job as a public librarian. The last thing she needs is more difficulties, but she’ll have to deal with aggressive journalists, creepy emails, book bans, and protesters.
Okay read. I expected to enjoy this more than I did. I was hoping for the library aspects to play more of a role in the story, but the majority of the book is about Darcy blaming herself for the death of the guy she broke up with ten years ago.
As a public librarian and Gender Studies major, I agreed with most of Darcy’s tirades but didn’t find her insight particularly interesting. She gives basic summaries of things like compulsory heterosexuality and the mission of libraries without really adding much. It gets really repetitive. There were some great lines about intellectual freedom and libraries being an accessible and welcoming place for all people.
I didn’t connect with Darcy and following her perspective was a struggle for me. While I realize she’s dealing with a lot, so much of the book is spent on her relationship with her ex a decade ago. I honestly would have loved to hear more about her current relationships, especially with Joy, because Joy was such a sweet character. Mortdecai was cool too.
The story also explores relationships between mothers and daughters, therapy, and connecting with yourself.
I do absolutely love that it includes a list of ways to support public libraries at the end.
The book touches on some interesting ideas but for the most part I found it drawn out and repetitive, and the humor didn’t work for me. I do love the book’s pro-library, anti-censorship messaging. Bumped up half a star for that alone. And it was refreshing to see the different community members who came together to support the library.