By: MVS Book Club
For our second book of the year, the MVS Upper School Book Club read Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, a novel about Clay. He’s a struggling web designer living in San Francisco, who finds a job as a night clerk at a 24-hour bookstore where his boss is weird and the customers even weirder. Intrigued by what the store has to offer, Clay explores deeper into its perplexing mysteries, learning about data visualization, a 500-year-old message, and the secret to immortality along the way.
The Book Club chose this book because who doesn’t want to read a book about books? Jokes aside, we found the plot intriguing, with many members at the edge of their seats, craving more as the world was developed and secrets revealed. It was agreed that the highlight of the novel was its interesting world-building, especially the historical tidbits about fonts, figures, and the supposed beginning of book printing. Sloan’s writing style lent itself to the magical and surreal nature of the locations visited. This left some members with the feeling that they were in the moment themselves, much in contrast to our previous book, a character-focused novel with much to be desired in the imagery and world-building department.
Some members found fault with the overall message of the novel, which is that old and new technologies are not enemies and can coexist. It felt anticlimactic, and suggestions were made that the author didn’t execute the message well. In addition, the unnecessary romantic subplot and the unrealistic nature of a few plot points didn’t contribute much to the overall story.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore offered a unique blend of history and whimsy that kept members engaged and entertained. Despite its flaws, the book’s creativity and immersive settings made it a memorable read for the club.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 🐏s
Recommendation: For those of you who enjoy heists, puzzles, secret societies and all things mysterious.
