With classic Patrick deWitt wit and wisdom, The Librarianist is a novel as lovable as the author himself. (If you ever get the chance to see deWitt speak, I highly recommend you go.) I have to admit I expected there to be more books in this book. The main character, Bob Comet, is a librarian after all, and he has spent his entire working life surrounded by books, and reading books. But no, the literature itself takes a back seat as we learn ever more about who Bob is, and what leads him to the front door of the Gambell-Reed Senior Centre on a cold, wet day in 2005.

Bob appears to have led a simple life, and the simplicity of it is often reflected in deWitt’s wry and heartfelt writing. We learn early on that Bob is a loner, someone who ‘communicated with the world partly by walking through it, but mainly by reading about it.’ So it is a surprise to learn Bob was once married, and that something terrible destroyed that marriage. We also learn that Bob ran away as a child. When he was 11 years old, he abandoned his home and spent four wonderful days with an eccentric collection of folk at a seaside hotel. This is my favourite part of the story. Thespians Ida and June take the runaway under their wing as they do their best to make a living on the stage. On the day the Second World War is declared over, Bob is returned to his mother, his adventure over, but never forgotten.

As Bob begins to piece together what happened to his ex-wife after she left him, he discovers new friends and a new way of life. At 72 years of age, he starts over, no longer alone and still with his favourite books by his side. Despite an abrupt ending that I found quite startling, this is a life-affirming, charming novel filled with empathetic characters, warmth and humour. And the occasional book.