Off the Shelf
Book Review by Judith Umbach
The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt
Bob’s a quiet fellow. He doesn’t say much,
and he doesn’t see many people. He has his cherished routines. He is a perfect
librarian; so much so that author Patrick deWitt coined the term Librarianist
to express Bob’s calling.
Bob is retired and decides to donate his
deep knowledge by volunteering as a speaker at a small local seniors’
residence. To his surprise and disappointment, the residents are not interested
in the arcane paths of language. Also, to his surprise, he enjoyed visiting the
ordinary yet quirky people there. The manager suggests he keep coming just to
sit and visit with the residents. Not being purposeful is odd to Bob;
nevertheless, he gives it a try. All lives are complicated, as he discovers.
Bob’s own life has its complications. A
long time ago, he used to be married to Connie. She ran off with his best and
only friend, Ethan. Even Bob conceded that Ethan was better-looking and
livelier than he was, although Ethan’s lack of boundaries created more stir
than Bob found comfortable. After the divorce, he retreated into his shell of
routine and absolute dedication to the disciplines of librarianship.
As a child, Bob did have dreams. At eleven,
his ran away from home in a behaviour typical for his age. Except Bob was more
organized than most boys and accomplished his goal of finding a different,
kinder life. He took a train, hiding from railway officials and attaching
himself to two eccentric sisters who were trying to revive their theatrical
act. They were going to the Hotel Elba, scene of past success, to rehearse. Not
too worried about rules, they got Bob a room and paid him one pound a day to
run errands. A fascinating job for an eleven-year-old.
Eventually, Bob was retrieved and sent back
to his parents to grow up and become a really good librarian. Now, with his
inexplicable attraction to eccentricity and quirkiness, Bob finds himself
engulfed by the dramas in the seniors’ residence. Chip wanders off, and when
her memory won’t work, she stares at something and shuts down. Jill knows that
nothing will turn out right, and she has been right about that for her whole
life. Linus was a matinee idol, now forced to suffer physical disabilities.
They are all very much alive. And, they are Bob’s friends.
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