The Librarianist

A Novel

By: Patrick deWitt

Narrated by: Jim Meskimen

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

From bestselling and award-winning author Patrick deWitt comes the story of Bob Comet, a man who has lived his life through and for literature, unaware that his own experience is a poignant and affecting narrative in itself.

Bob Comet is a retired librarian passing his solitary days surrounded by books and small comforts in a mint-colored house in Portland, Oregon. One morning on his daily walk he encounters a confused elderly woman lost in a market and returns her to the senior center that is her home. Hoping to fill the void he’s known since retiring, he begins volunteering at the center. Here, as a community of strange peers gathers around Bob, and following a happenstance brush with a painful complication from his past, the events of his life and the details of his character are revealed.

Behind Bob Comet’s straight-man façade is the story of an unhappy child’s runaway adventure during the last days of the Second World War, of true love won and stolen away, of the purpose and pride found in the librarian’s vocation, and of the pleasures of a life lived to the side of the masses. Bob’s experiences are imbued with melancholy but also a bright, sustained comedy; he has a talent for locating bizarre and outsize players to welcome onto the stage of his life.

With his inimitable verve, skewed humor, and compassion for the outcast, Patrick deWitt has written a wide-ranging and ambitious document of the introvert’s condition. The Librarianist celebrates the extraordinary in the so-called ordinary life, and depicts beautifully the turbulence that sometimes exists beneath a surface of serenity.

©2023 Patrick deWitt (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Slow to start but worth the wait!

I had trouble getting into this book, at first. I even had to restart it a couple of chapters in because it felt like I was missing something. The story seemed to meander for a little while, but the mixture of personalities was really interesting. Then, a little twist came, and it really took off! Sometimes, you’ll laugh out loud and other times it will break your heart. But it’s a very satisfying read.

Loved this book.

Clear, visual writing with wonderful characters and story line. Just right.
Eager to read/listen to more of Patrick deWitt’s novels.

Emotionally satisfying

Lovely story. Simple yet still tugged on my heart strings. Highly recommend. I feel like I know all these characters.

An entertaining audio

I was a huge fan of author Patrick deWitt’s “French Exit”. His newly released story, “The Librarianist” is a hoot and a half. The reason to read it? It’s deWitt’s oddball and eccentric characters and their observations that populate this story. I double dog dare you to read this without unwavering amusement in the form of chuckling.

deWitt’s Librarianist is Bob Comet, who is 71 when the story begins, and a retired librarian. He lives in his childhood home, a mint green number in Portland Oregon. Bob loves books and the quiet life it allows. On a. walk, Bob chances upon a woman at a 7-Eleven who has been staring at the refrigerated section of energy drinks for close to an hour, much to the dismay of the clerk. The woman is a resident at a Senior Citizen Center as indicated by her name tag; Bob returns her to the home and asks if he can volunteer reading to the residents. Bob’s volunteer attempt is met with derision by the inmates. He probably shouldn’t have led with Edgar Allan Poe and Russian Literature.

deWitt moves the story from the current, 2006, to 1942, when we learn of Bob’s early interest in the library. He was in high school when he determined he wanted to become a librarian. It was at his first librarian job that he met his wife Connie and his best friend Ethan. We learn early that Ethan and Connie betray Ethan. This event defines Ethan and furthers him along a melancholy path. In fact, Bob is the epitome of loneliness.

The story picks up in much needed silliness when deWitt has Bob flashback to another defining event in his life which occurred in 1945. Bob went on the lam; yes, he ran away from home at the age of 11. He finds his way on a train that takes him to the Hotel Elba where he meets Jane and Ida, two thespians. Here, deWitt has great fun with the word…thespians.

Bob is an introverted loner, but he does make some connections once he volunteers at the Senior Center. I was charmed by the story in the same way that I was charmed by Ruth Ozeki’s “The Book of Form and Emptiness”. Both stories are sad and life affirming at the same time. It’s the cleverness of prose that is the reason for reading the story. One must experience reading deWitt to appreciate his abilities at reflecting the absurd.

I listened to the audio, narrated by Jim Meskimen. I did end up changing the reading speed to 1.2x. I enjoyed Meskimen’s interpretations of the differing voices.

It was ok

It was okay. There was a weird flashback in the middle of the book, I think to help drag out the story. It was so boring I had to skip 4 chapters. It was interesting in parts and had a lot of potential. But overall I wouldn’t recommend it.

Wonderful Listen

A new author to me, Ill look for others of his work. Charming, funny, insightful and heartbreaking. Well written, wonderful characters suffering the human condition and the damage done long before we meet. The story starts slowly and ends with little fanfare. It is an existence observed.
Excellent narration as well

A deeply meaningful and quirky narrative.

I found the novel quite absorbing.
With many poignant moments. I laughed quite a lot But also became quite absorbed in the characters especially bob. The narration was wonderful. I will explore more of the books of this author.

Just a good old comfortable story!

I loved this book. The narration starts off flat, initially detracting from the story, but stick with it. At some point the narrator becomes more animated and the story moves forward with vivid imagery. A tale to be told.

I loved everything about this book!

Usually I choose nonfiction over fiction but for some reason I took the leap and was so pleased I did. The narrator was so well matched to the voices of the story which was so unique and yet so realistically human, including Bob’s runaway story as a boy which brought back memories of my own runaway story. A truly enjoyable read from beginning to end and character to character. I will come back to Patrick’s writing again.

Melancholy and moving

A very moving story of aging, disappointment, and scattered happiness. As each new segment began, I had to give the story a rest, to settle my emotions.