“Who made up all the rules? We follow them like fools/Believe them to be true/Don’t care to think them through”
– ‘They’ by Jem

old in first person, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is unlike any contemporary work of fiction that you might come across. But its original, unusual and ultimately moving voice and peculiar storyline is just one of the few reasons why it is such a delectable affair, one we would love for you to partake in.

As entertaining and gripping as it might be, the novel also has a way of building up. Divided into four sections, you cannot jump to the second or third section without reading the first, because, well, let’s just say it will feel like you do not have the key to unlock the story.

It all begins with Clay Jannon, a graduate from an art school who is in need of a job since he lost his first one in less than a year as a designer who was quickly climbing the professional ladder. But the economic crunch meant losing his job at NewBagel with his bosses, a pair of ex-Googlers, who had moved to another country.

It is for this reason Jannon considered working at a bookstore.

Living in San Francisco with its unique architecture (compared to New York, Chicago or other major American cities) makes it difficult to exactly know where you are, as you start walking for no reason other than the fact that you want to. Even Jannon isn’t sure how he landed in the street that housed Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But since the bookstore said ‘Help Wanted’ he decided to go inside.

If you think the architecture of San Francisco is one where you could lose yourself just by walking around, almost feeling like you have arrived at a completely mysterious destination than what you had set out for, the street with the bookstore manages to amplify that feeling.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore needs a clerk for its night shift. The job interview isn’t about having a prolific portfolio at all. If you, or to be precise, Jannon is able to name some of his favorite books and if even one title aligns with a name Mr. Penumbra approves of, well, you’re in business.

“Don’t forget me/Don’t regret me/Don’t suspect me/Don’t neglect me.” – ‘Don’t Forget Me’ by Way out West

In the three shifts that keep Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore running, Mr. Penumbra takes the morning shift, an archeology student called Oliver takes the second shift, with Jannon stacked with the nightshift.

This is where things become complex. The primary function of a bookstore is to sell books. But in this bookstore, Jannon quickly discovers: there are two bookstores within one.

One can be mildly called a big store because of its small selection of odd titles. The second bookstore, designed in a dingy and dark fashion was The Waybacklist, which he believes is the other bookstore located inside of the bookstore. It requires you to climb multiple stories across multiple feet, a feat dangerous for anyone other than an acrobat. Fetching a book from a rack was, therefore, rather difficult and that’s a mild point of view.

Have you ever been one of those people who explore libraries, bookstores and/or look up some of the most breathtaking architectural bookstores in the world like one in Germany and another in China? Perhaps. But that isn’t a strict criterion to read Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Is it wrapped in mystery? Yes. But before you begin, you must ask yourself if you’re looking to read a book that is drenched in mystery of the whodunnit genre. If so, this book will not meet your standards. 

Jannon is not allowed to read or sell books from The Waybacklist even though that is his current job. But the books were for book club members. He also has to write descriptions of people who “borrow” these books rather than buying them. Of course, that the books were hardly understandable and might be written in some coded language make the task less easy than it seemed.

“Tell me somethin’, girl. Are you happy in this modern world? Or do you need more? Is there somethin’ else you’re searchin’ for? - ‘Shallow’ from A Star is Born

A paradox more than a thriller, as you read each chapter, you want to turn the page because the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know. You want to be the person who climbs the ladder and sees what the eerie coded books are about and why you can’t read them.

A delicious book, it is loaded with pop culture references that are not too old-fashioned and form an odd assortment when you look at them as a whole. Everything from a film like 2001 Space Odyssey to a title by Aristotle, the Harry Potter series, Walter Isaacson’s books on Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein respectively makes an appearance. Other references to Google, SuperMan/Clark Kent, Kindle, or a MacBook are also woven into the story so evenly that irrespective of being a century-old bookstore, some things immediately make sense.

It came upon a midnight clear/That glorious song of old/From angels bending near the earth/To touch their harps of gold.” - ‘It Came Upon a Midnight Clear’ by Sixpence None the Richer

Have you ever been one of those people who explore libraries, bookstores and/or look up some of the most breathtaking architectural bookstores in the world like one in Germany and another in China?

Perhaps. But that isn’t a strict criterion to read Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Is it wrapped in mystery? Yes. But before you begin, you must ask yourself if you’re looking to read a book that is drenched in mystery of the whodunnit genre. If so, this book will not meet your standards.

However, if you are willing to step out of your comfort zone to read Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, you will end up looking for similar works.

A work of fiction that is hardly typical, you will find yourself gripped by the novel from the first page.

Another question to ask is if you can dedicate time to this book without distractions, including listening to music, procrastinating online or having the television running in the background. There was a time when this question would’ve been irrelevant. But in the age of social media, films available to watch on your phones, and a dizzying array of free texting, you have to dedicate yourself to reading without falling into any such traps. So, find a comfortable spot and maybe a cup of tea and enter the world of a bookstore which will remain unfamiliar unless it has your full attention. You will not know what is coming, but when it does, it will outshine expectations in more ways than one.

– Footnote: The success of the book culminated in a prequel called Ajax Penumbra 1969 by Robin Sloan.