The Left-Handed Booksellers of London filled a void in me. Yes, I know that’s dramatic to say, but you know when you read a book and you feel like no other book can live up to it so you’re almost afraid to pick one up when you finish? That’s what I felt with this one. This was the book I was craving all year that I didn’t know I was craving. Yes, in my opinion it IS that good.
We have an alternate London in the early 1980s with magic (though the general population doesn’t know about magic) and we have these booksellers that are the… well, the “in-between” of the magical world and the human world. They keep things in control, I guess you could say.
Our main character, Susan, is fantastic. She’s thrown into this world knowing nothing at all and she learns to just go with it. And Merlin, the other main character, is a left-handed bookseller (there are right-handed booksellers too but you’ll have to read the book to find out more about that). He’s quirky and weird, in the best way, of course. And we also get some great non-binary vibes from him as well (though it just is and isn’t discussed, not really).
I loved the characters, the setting, the world, the magic. I loved the mystery of it all and the beauty of the writing. I usually am grateful when a book is a stand alone but nope, I really wish this was not! I want more!
Now, if you’ve stuck around this long and read this review, thank you. I hope that you’ll consider picking up a copy or adding it to your holiday wish list. You can grab yours here.
–Candace, Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA