Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
Ratings26
Average rating3.9
When a bookshop patron dies by suicide, his favorite store clerk must unravel the puzzle he left behind in this "shocking, charming, thrilling" (Associated Press) and award-winning debut novel.
Lydia Smith lives her life hiding in plain sight. A clerk at the Bright Ideas bookstore, she leads a meticulously ordered existence among her beloved books, eccentric colleagues, and the BookFrogs—the lost and lonely regulars who spend every day browsing the overwhelmed stacks.
But when a young BookFrog, Joey Molina, hangs himself in one of the upper rooms of the store, Lydia’s life comes unglued. Inside one of Joey’s pockets is a photograph of Lydia as a little girl. And when she flips through some of his books, she finds them defaced in ways both disturbing and inexplicable. They reveal the psyche of a young man on the verge of an emotional reckoning. The more she puzzles over them, the more they seem to contain a hidden message for her about his final days. What did Joey know? And what does it have to do with Lydia?
With "oddball characters and [a] layered plot" (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review), Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is “a smart, twisty crime novel set in a world that booklovers will adore” (Jess Walter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins).
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I would classify this book as quirky and lovable. The heart of the story Lydia, a book store clerk. It moves to the lonely souls who spend their days reading in the store and Lydia's fondness for them. In the first chapter one of them takes his life (Joey) and Lydia finds him. From here, the story evolves and grows as we learn about her past and the trauma she suffered as a child, through her “investigation” of Joey's belongings which he left to her. The key characters come together in the end and it makes for a terrific story of life: human failings, love, resilience and the power of the human spirit to heal and overcome obstacles.
I read this book as part of a book club, and really enjoyed it! It's been a while since I read a good mystery and this one kept me guessing. The author's writing and storytelling made this a quick read and I liked the diversity of the characters, in background and personality and socioeconomic situation. This novel does a nice job of presenting a Denver that is on the cusp of gentrification of part of the city in the early 90s maybe? I would love to spend some more time there. The mystery, however, is what makes this book so good. There are plot twists and things I didn't see coming. The other thing worth mentioning is the ending. Sometimes a story will have a long and intricate build up to an ending that is lacking - almost as if an editor said, “wrap it up this week” or “chop out 100 pages” to the author. This book is very well done in that respect. There is a mystery. It is brought to a resolution but in a complete manner that leaves the reader satisfied but without whiplash or questions remaining.
My complaint is... I'm team David. Great pacing. Great way of explaining just enough to keep the pages turning.
