Book Endings – A Call Numbers novel: Loss, Pain, and Revelations

Book Endings – A Call Numbers novel: Loss, Pain, and Revelations is centered on college and work colleagues who are actively exploring life and discovering some things about themselves, albeit dampened by explosive secrets, restrictions from parents, and emotional problems. The protagonist, who loses what he believes makes life meaningful, is left with two options: to give up or to keep trying.

When Robin finds his grandfather on the floor because he collapsed, he fears he will be left alone in the world. Apparently, being a college student and a part-time library clerk is not enough to keep the loneliness demons away. However, a beautiful Japanese woman called Shinju Hasegawa could change things for him, but only if he stops missing his chances. Follow Robin in Book Endings – A Call Numbers novel: Loss, Pain, and Revelations as he tries to make sense of life while he navigates through shocking revelations, his chaotic relationships with his coworkers and college friends, and loss in the 1990s.

Boom bap fans would love this book as it contains several references to Hip-hop names like Wu-Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest. Apart from the ’90s music references, some movies and games from the period are mentioned, bringing back good memories of an influential time in entertainment history as the story develops. The characters appear completely genuine and are easy to like: Robin is sweet at times but embarrassed about it in public, Shinju is proud of her Japanese heritage, and the other characters are equally distinctive and entertaining. The book has a calm pace, and it is packed with many surprises and interesting conversations you would want to join in. I connected with the characters in different ways. For example, the protagonist’s need for someone reminds me of the times I’ve felt the same way. I liked how lifelike and relatable the story was.

One aspect of the book I didn’t like was the great number of characters. The story starts with several shifts between the different characters, and only a few pages are dedicated to each character. Before I could fully assimilate a character’s information and get to know them well, I was introduced to another one. Consequently, the plot felt somewhat complex.

Syntell Smith’s book is recommended to readers who seek an endearing and compelling narrative; a story that explores some social and psychological issues with some hard-to-forget characters. The elaborate narrative is filled with different themes, including jealousy, disagreement, fraud, racism, pain, sexual assault (nothing explicit), culture, pregnancy, romance, vengeance, violence, and more. Prepare for a wild, bumpy ride as it’s hard to tell where the story will take you.