Hika Harada’s book “Dinner at the Night Library” is translated by Philip Gabriel, the translator of a number of Haruki Murakami books. The book is primarily marketed as a mystery but if you, like me, go into it waiting for someone to be murdered in the night library, you’d be disappointed in that aspect.

With just about 400 reviews on GoodReads, I thought I found an underrated gem in the Japanese translated fiction category. I was not wrong. You can probably tell that I am disappointed that nobody got murdered in the night library but the book actually nailed the cozy mystery tag (that it did not have).

If you ever wonder what happens to the extensive book collections of authors after their demise, this one was such an interesting read. The night library not only operates only at night, it also only collects the book collections of deceased authors. You can find the books they have written alongside the books that they collected. This is of real interest for people researching specific authors as the collection is telling evidence of the influences on their works and for the family of the authors who do not know what to do with the vast collection of books and would still love a space to visit their books. But who runs this place and why the secrecy around their identity?

The story follows Otoha Higuchi as she moves into the library staff dormitory after accepting a mysterious job offer to work at the night library. There’s a mysterious owner who had interviewed all the staff but everyone claims to never have met them.

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The staff are as quirky as the collection. While the large portion of the story is told from Otoha’s perspective, we get glimpses into the lives of the rest of the staff as well. Sasai is the manager, Ako and Masako are in charge of sorting books, Mr. Tokai and Ms. Minami Enokida are 2nd floor receptionists, Ms. Mai Kitazato is the 1st floor receptionist, Mr. Tokuda is a recent joinee like Otoha, and Chef Kinoshita who cooks up recipes mentioned in books and serves them at the staff canteen. The chapters in the book are named after the dishes being served that day. The library also has a resident detective who serves as a guard as well.

Otoha comes to this unique job when she is struggling in life and we get to know that the stories are almost the same for all the other staff as well. Otoha has unsupportive parents who think she is wasting her life away. Her previous job at a bookshop was stressful owing to her coworkers and she is cautious in her approach to people initially. As she opens up, the readers get the insight into the operations of the library and the lives of the people working there.

I found the structure of the book to be just as unusual as the rest of the plot. The first two chapters are the first two days of Otoha at the library, 3rd is a month after and the 4th is the day after that. Even though I am not a fan of the timeline irregularity, it goes to show that the work at the library is pretty routine save for some exciting days, such as an author passing and leaving their collection to the library, books suddenly being replaced by newer books published after the authors’ death, eccentric authors coming in to get an exclusive look at a recently-deceased rival’s collection.

The book ended with the possibility of a sequel and I would be looking forward to it. I really related to Otoha and the whole situation of settling into a new workplace all alone. The mystery around the owner is lifted but there’s still a lot to explore in that direction. I absolutely love books about books and the primary theme of this one being books and food had me from the very beginning.

You can grab your copy of “Dinner at the Night Library” by Hika Harada here.

(I earn a small commission from every qualified purchase from the link to continue reading and reviewing)

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Have you read or watched “Dinner at the Night Library” yet? Or any other Japanese Translated Cozy Mysteries? What are your thoughts on them?

Feel free to drop a comment or reach out to me across social media at @thecalcuttanbibliophile. I would love to hear from you.