I’m not sure how much I can say about The Department of Rare Books and Special Editions, because I’m honestly not sure I got it. If you asked me what genre it was in, I’m not even sure I could tell you. Maybe Mysterious Literary Fiction would be a good choice, but even that doesn’t feel quite right. I grabbed it from Netgalley, and because I’m the weirdo who likes to wait until I forget what books are about before reading them, I let it sit for a while. Once I had completely forgotten what little I had read about it, I headed in and gave it a shot.
I was, honestly, a smidge disappointed. It’s a book set in a library, which would be cool, but it also felt disjointed, like it was trying to tell 5 different stories, and didn’t quite succeed at any of them. This will be my first “not quite positive” review in a while, but don’t get used to it. I don’t write these very often.
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Synopsis
Liesl was assistant to the director of Rare Books and Special Collections in her beloved library. She’s been content for years to work behind the scenes, and support her boss to the best of her ability. When he has a stroke, and ends up in a coma, Liesl is thrust into the spotlight as she has to take over his duties.
While she’s performing duties such as speeches and fundraising, Liesl is also trying to figure out where a priceless manuscript has gone. To her knowledge, it has been in her boss’s possession for weeks, but when she went looking for it, it had disappeared.
Liesl is told not to call the police, and to just handle it on her own, but when an employee in the department quits coming in to work, Liesl is forced to acknowledge her inability to do both jobs: investigator and department head. Secrets, rare books, and missing persons all mix together to create a mystery that might never feel quite solved.
Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of (book) in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Thoughts
One of the things I love the most about books is the evolution and growth of the characters. When I get to the end of a book, and the main character feels the same as at the beginning, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed. When I’m reading a book, I love to imagine what the characters would look like, and what they would sound like. I couldn’t really come up with a good image for Liesl. I’m not even sure I want to invite her to my imaginary tea party.
Plot & Pacing
I felt like the book rushed in many ways, but on the other hand, I felt like it dragged. The author had a really good idea, which was a mystery surrounding a missing book, and the person in charge of the book unavailable. I also love the idea of books happening in libraries, so there’s always people to suspect when mysteries arise.
In the case of The Department of Rare Books and Special Editions, however, the number of suspects never really grew, and although Liesl was very smart, and had the ability to make smart decisions, she allowed herself to waver under the director’s instructions not to contact the police about a missing, multi-thousand-dollar, rare book. Her waffling back and forth about whether to contact them took up way more of the book than it should have, and I felt like it stole away from the potential intrigue.
What Surprised Me
What surprised me most about The Department of Rare Books and Special Editions was how much I just wanted to find out what happened. The twists in the story weren’t earth-shattering, but they did frustrate me just enough to keep me reading. I wish I could tell you that I either hated the book, or loved it so much I couldn’t put it down, but I really just felt kind of “meh” about the whole thing. I guess that surprised me more than anything. I wasn’t bored, but I wasn’t incentivized to keep reading, either. I’m proud to say, I finished the book, and I received a reward for finishing, in the form of a solved mystery, but don’t we all kind of expect that from a book in the mystery genre?
We predict that the mystery will be solved, because we’ve been trained and conditioned to believe that’s what’s supposed to happen. When I read a book that has no solution at the end, I’ll be more surprised by that than anything.
Even when books solve a mystery, they usually do so in a fun, unique way. I honestly can’t even remember how this book solved that little conundrum, which tells me more than I ever thought about reading a book set in a library. I guess hatred and true love work in books as well. If I hate something, I’ll be able to tell you precisely what I hated. Same with loving a book. When I’m indifferent about something, I can’t always tell you why.
Recommendation
Normally, when I recommend a book, I’ll tell you precisely who should read the book, and why. In this case, I can only tell you that if you’re looking for a book that doesn’t require much brain power, and won’t keep you thinking past the current chapter, you’ll be good with this book. It’s a good mindfulness book, I guess would be a good description. It kept me smack in the middle of the story, but never gave me much to think about before or after the current scene.
Check out The Department of Rare Books & Special Collections on Amazon
Conclusion
So, this is probably the first semi-negative review I’ve written in a while. I almost wish I could say I truly hated The Department of Rare Books and Special Editions, because then I would be on one side of the fence or the other. Instead, I’m sitting smack on top of the fence, with no clue which side I want to fall on. Neither feels particularly comfortable, but then again, neither did the book.
If you’re interested in at least checking out the book, please use that affiliate link I’ve left for you. Even if you don’t decide to purchase, my link stays with your account for 24 hours, allowing you to support me through your other purchases as well. I really appreciate it, and love every bit of support I get. I’ll be back next week with a list of books I think should be movies, so I hope you’ll check that out.
Until Next Time, Friends!
