The Bookshop Woman
Hanada Nanako
Octopus Publishing
Recently separated from her husband, she is living between 4-hour capsule hostels, pokey internet cafes and bookshop floors. Her work is going no better - sales at the eccentric Village Vanguard bookstore in Tokyo, which Nanako manages, are dwindling.
As Nanako's life falls apart, reading books is the only thing keeping her alive. That's until Nanako joins an online meet-up site which offers 30 minutes with someone you'll never see again. Describing herself as a sexy bookseller she offers strangers 'the book that will change their life' in exchange for a meeting.
In the year that follows, Nanako meets hundreds of people, some of whom want more than just a book...