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The Librarianist

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The Librarianist

By: Patrick deWitt
Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
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Bloomsbury presents The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt, read by Jim Meskimen.

**AN INTERNATIONAL No. 1 BESTSELLER**

'I absolutely adored it' NINA STIBBE

**Selected as a Washington Post Book of the Summer**

From bestselling and award-winning author Patrick deWitt comes a novel about an ordinary man who thought life’s surprises were behind him – until a chance encounter changed everything

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Bob Comet is a retired librarian passing his solitary days surrounded by books in a mint-colored house in Portland, Oregon. One morning on his daily walk he encounters a confused elderly woman lost in a market and returns her to the senior center that is her home. Hoping to fill the void he’s known since retiring, he begins volunteering at the center. Here, as a community of strange peers gathers around Bob, and following a happenstance brush with a painful complication from his past, the events of his life and the details of his character are revealed.

Behind Bob Comet’s straight man facade is the story of an unhappy child’s runaway adventure during the last days of the Second World War, of true love won and stolen away, of the purpose and pride found in the librarian’s vocation, and the pleasures of a life lived to the side of the masses. Comet’s experiences are imbued with melancholy but also a bright, sustained comedy; he has a talent for locating bizarre and outsized players to welcome onto the stage of his life.

With his inimitable verve, skewed humor, and compassion for the outcast, Patrick deWitt has written a wide-ranging and ambitious document of the introvert’s condition. The Librarianist celebrates the extraordinary in the so-called ordinary life, and depicts beautifully the turbulence that sometimes exists beneath a surface of serenity.


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Praise for Patrick deWitt
'A triumph from a writer truly in the zone' Maria Semple, author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette
'deWitt remains a true original' Guardian
'One of the most talented young writers around' Sunday Times©2023 Patrick deWitt Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Witty Comedy
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Critic reviews

I absolutely adored it. I loved Bob - his position over to the side of charisma and horribleness, out of the game, his notions and his demeanour ... This beautiful book took me far away from all my concerns. It’s so wonderful, soothing and heartbreaking (Nina Stibbe)
Tidily crafted and pleasantly life-affirming
A lovely curio of a novel
This whimsical novel from former Booker Prize finalist deWitt is a delight
Full of subtle reflections on contemporary life and has a deceptively biting humour
Memorable characters and a strain of burlesque comedy swirl through this story spanning the life of a retired librarian ... deWitt takes us on a waltzer of a ride, twisting through Bob’s life
deWitt is one of the great literary ventriloquists, producing funny, quirky, richly imagined novels shaped each time by a wildly different narrative voice
A poignant character study ... deWitt’s writing and endearing characters create a memorable world
Light, bright, beguiling, a quirky delight ... DeWitt’s great gift lies in his ability to depict the Everyman in extremis – heroism hidden in plain sight
“I found the whole reading experience utterly charming … The dialogue is fresh and characters come alive immediately on the page ... There’s simply an energy to deWitt’s books that make them pleasurable to spend time with, and that’s all on display in The Librarianist
One of his best
Wildly imaginative, genre-defying
This engrossing fictional portrait of a retired librarian volunteering at an old folks home unspools its main character’s life - betrayals, loss, triumphs - with humor and tenderness
That Patrick deWitt has pulled off this deceptively risky style of narrative is proof of his considerable skills as an author
A touching, affectionate novel, showing … that engagement in old age is a courageous act to be applauded
The great chronicler of American weirdos is back with his warmest novel yet ... No one writes loopier, funnier dialogue
A character study of almost defiant gentleness
Gripping, random, and totally alive ... Readers come to deWitt for his brand of slightly off-kilter storytelling blessed with exuberant characterizations, gleeful dialogue, and a proprietary blend of darkness and charm, all strung up in lights here
An old man’s routines are interrupted by a woman in pink in this wistful fable … A quietly effective and moving character study
deWitt imbues the people he meets with color and quirks, leaving a trail of sparks ... This one gradually takes hold until it won’t let go
Praise for French Exit: 'Made me so happy ... Brilliant, addictive, funny and wise (Andrew Sean Greer, author of Less)
My favourite book of his yet (Maria Semple, author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette)
Pure joy
Buoyantly insane
All stars
Most relevant
A gentle, beautiful story, of a librarian.
A book which says beauty doesn’t have to be full of adventure, that QUIET, can be as beautiful. A book I shall not forget.
Brilliant narration,

So beautiful

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I disagree with a previous reviewer who disliked the middle part of the book. To me it is what makes the story so special. It gives a deeper understanding of the main character who otherwise seems seems rather a sad and unfulfilled man. The middle bit gives him an adventure that then gives meaning to his deep longing for love. A wonderful story that is more complex than it first appears to be.

Very interesting story

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This is a carefully told story that captivated me. The narration is excellent and each character comes to life and the story is told with humour and sensitivity.
Thoroughly enjoyable book.

A beautiful story

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Great writing- I’d read more from this writer - Sister Brothers also brilliant- perhaps better than this

Patrick DeWitt is a gifted writer

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In a 10h book, 3h are totally inconsequential, mundane and the characters are cliche and boring. The rest of the book is beautiful and subtle, perfectly paced and detailed with real life characters. I just don’t know why the section set in 1945 is there.
It is worth a listen but if I were you, skip that section (it’s listed in the chapter titles tracklisting), you’ll thank me

A good book derailed by a large part of the book

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