The Library of Unrequited Love - Hardcover

"It's funny, sad, and agreeably discursive . . . There isn't a dull page or even a dull sentence . . . In short, this is a very accomplished and delightful debut."--Allan Massie, The Scotsman

"We're in Anita Brookner territory here . . . Sophie Divry brilliantly captures the voice of a frustrated lady librarian past her prime."--The Evening Standard

"[An] eloquent debut . . . Cultural knowledge and insights into human nature are perfectly woven in this original novel, which deserves all its critical praise."--Rachel Kitson, The Independent

"Thoroughly entertaining, but also tinged with sadness, The Library of Unrequited Love is a slim, strongly written novel."--The National

El Pais called The Library of Unrequited Love "a thrilling soliloquy, an exciting breath of love." The librarian, a single, middle-aged woman, a sharply opinionated and thoughtful bookworm, whose ex-boyfriend left her for another woman, discovers one morning a patron who has been locked in over night.
Against her quiet nature, she starts to talk to him, what results is a soliloquy of frustrations, observations, and anguish, covering--with wit, pathos, and passion--history, literature, the Dewey Decimal System, love, and loneliness, as well as revealing her unrequited passion for a quiet student-researcher named Martin, whose studiousness, grace, and "beautiful neck" strikes her.
Divry's prose is seamless--never laborious--both funny and poignant. The book's compactness offers an immersive reading experience that touches universal emotional experiences from the perspective of a bookworm.