CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian's Reviews > The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections

Although this is a novel that is deeply about a library and I'm a librarian, it really isn't my kind of book. (To be fair it's set in a university rare books library which is probably about as far from the public library -- where I work -- in terms of types of libraries as you can get).

I'm still puzzling as to why I liked it in many ways, but it never quite fully engaged me. Let's see if I can tease it out!

Jurczyk's novel is a kind of literary mystery, although it's fairly genre flexible. I wouldn't recommend it for someone looking for a straightforward, old-fashioned mystery. It is plot-centred, which is one reason it didn't fully win me over. I love a compelling plot in addition to compelling characters, but I cannot do without the compelling characters.

What I can't quite figure out is why I didn't find the characters that compelling. Liesl, the older woman protagonist here, is a unique person who appears to be one thing -- a dowdy, detail oriented librarian more comfortable being the person in the background making sure things run smoothly than the person in the spotlight -- but is in reality much more complex. She's got secrets!

Actually, all of her librarian and library worker colleagues do too, as well as other university types that pepper the novel. A fair amount of the characters are downright unlikable and mean, but not in an interesting way, really. (The university president character is a plain old jerk, a typically entitled white man concerned with money and reputation only. He literally feels entitled to steal Liesl's lunch from her when he is hungry and doesn't have a lunch of his own).

I think Liesl and the other characters are missing the vulnerability and emotional interiors that would have made me attached to them. I'm not quite sure the narrative wants the reader to be attached though.

The tone is removed and often downright glib. The writing style reminds me of Jane Rule who writes similarly so-called masculine prose that is very clever but emotionally detached.

I can say this makes the book not a good match for me but I shouldn't complain that it isn't doing a thing it's not trying to do. The novel feels like it's edging on satire at some points. (Notably, I do not generally like satire).

If you are fascinated by the topic of rare books / rare book libraries and/or are a plot-focused reader who doesn't mind being at a distance from the characters and their interior emotional states, I think this is an excellently done book of that type.