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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 26, 2018)
JULY 26, 2018 // 21 BOOKMONGER Author’s debut novel laced with romance, intrigue, magical realism Let’s begin with the alluring title of this week’s book: “The Bookstore of Other Languages.” Author Victoria Josslin, who splits her time between Bainbridge Island and New Mexico, weaves together romance, international intrigue and a dash of magical realism in this uneven but entertaining debut novel. The eponymous Seattle bookstore not only stocks books in scores of different languages, it also sells the ability to read and/or speak those languages. Bryce Hanford is the single, 38-year-old, owner of a computer business up in the San Juan Islands. He has to go into Seattle one day for a medical procedure and stops in at the book- store. Although he’s mildly interested in taking on the challenge of reading a book in a foreign language, he is nonplussed by the store employee’s description of transcranial magnetic stim- ulation (TMS), a procedure that ostensibly transmits language skills to clients on a temporary basis. Bryce flees the premises to find a bookstore that sells more conventional offerings. But only a short while after returning to his home and COURTESY VICTORIA JOSSLIN Author Victoria Josslin customary routine in the San Juan Islands, he gets a frantic call from his uncle. Bryce’s thoroughly unpleas- ant cousin Brenda has gotten herself into yet another fix of some sort — this time in Albania. Uncle Mel asks Bryce to go extricate his cousin from the mess she’s in — and he will pay for all of his nephew’s expenses. Reluctantly, Bryce agrees, and he realizes that the only way he can do this expediently is to stop in at the Bookstore of Other LOOKING TO PURCHASE OR REFINANCE A HOME, we are ready to help you with your mortgage needs Languages before he flies out of SeaTac Airport and undergo the TMS procedure to become temporarily fluent in Albanian. As it turns out, this will not be the only time that Bryce will need to take advantage of the services offered by the bookstore. The author concocts a freewheeling tale about Bryce and his forays into foreign realms, tossing in additional misadventures with international thieves, domestic healthcare and — most treacherously — affairs of the heart. Josslin’s descriptive powers are top-notch. The hospital rooms, restaurants, family birthday parties and street scenes are detailed with authority and imagina- tion. Likewise, the character development is multifaceted and adept. That’s true for the main players, at least. Some of the secondary characters — Brenda, for example — tend to be more cartoonish. But taken altogether, the interplay seems to work pretty well. The connectivity of the hybrid storyline is less as- sured. Josslin tosses together elements of science fiction, romance, conspiracy, cozy mystery, philosophy and family drama. Moving from one scenario to the next, there are tonal differences that can be rather jarring. “The Bookstore of Other Languages” By Victoria Josslin E.F. Metz Press 258 pp $16.95 The cover of Victoria Josslin’s ‘The Bookstore of Other Lan- guages.’ There are a couple of coin- cidences that seem to be too good to be true. And a busi- ness deal that concludes one of the story threads seems implausibly tidy. While not flawless, “The Bookstore of Other Lan- guages” is the kind of story you’ll be eager to get back to every time you set it down. Its underlying affirmation of the value of human relation- ships is beguiling. The Bookmonger is Bar- bara Lloyd McMichael, who writes this weekly column focusing on the books, au- thors and publishers of the Pacific Northwest. Contact her at bkmonger@nwlink. com Buck’s Books Closing EVERYTHING MUST GO! Bring-a-Bag fill it for $2 On Broadway across from the Seaside Chamber of Commerce Doors open at 9am July 26 th , 27 th & 28 th The Illahee Apartments Your Adventure Starts Here! FLOWER • CONCENTRATES • EDIBLES PREROLLS • ACCESSORIES • TOPICALS Why Live Anywhere Else? Lance Allbr itton c:503-801-2400 o:503-338-5200 hi Casual Cannabis • 193 Marine Dr., Astoria, OR 97103 • 503.325.4078 • hiAstoria.com Mystic Roots Cannabis • 38012 Highway 26, Seaside, OR 97138 • 971.225.7420 • MysticRootsCannabis.com Astoria, OR 97103 Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. For use only by adults twenty-one years of age and older. Keep out of reach of children. 503-325-2280 1046 Grand Avenue
