Bookshop Woman

Nanako Hanada`s life has not just flatlined, it`s hit rock bottom... Recently separated from her husband, she is living between 4-hour capsule hostels, pokey internet cafes and bookshop floors. Her work is going no better - sales at the eccentric Village Vanguard bookstore in Tokyo, which Nanako manages, are dwindling. As Nanako`s life falls apart, reading books is the only thing keeping her alive. That`s until Nanako joins an online meet-up site which offers 30 minutes with someone you`ll never see again. Describing herself as a sexy bookseller she offers strangers `the book that will change their life` in exchange for a meeting. In the year that follows, Nanako meets hundreds of people, some of whom want more than just a book... Acerbic and self-knowing, The Bookshop Woman is a soul-soothing story of a bookseller`s self-discovery and an ode to the joy of reading. Offering a glimpse into bookselling in Japan and the quirky side of Tokyo and its people, this is a story of how books can help us forge connection with others and lead us to ourselves. This is a story about the beauty of climbing into a book, free diving into its pages, and then resurfacing on the last page, ready to breathe a different kind of air...