This is a sweet story of family and families of choice, of dedication and coming of age in one’s twenties, of finding meaning in one’s life each day. There are three different sets of scripts in Japan to engage in written communication, hiragana, katakana and kanji and writers also use some of the Roman alphabet, some Arabic numerals and some symbols. Script can be written horizontally from left to right, like English, or vertically from top to bottom. In order to fully engage with this story, do read the simple explanation of these scrips in the Translator’s Note at the beginning of in Tsubaki Stationary Store.
Poppo has been gone from Kamakura for a long time. For years, she intentionally stayed out of her seaside home town, missing the chance to say goodbye to her grandmother when she was dying. Poppo’s grandmother was a distant, strict woman who raised Poppo after her teenaged mother left home. She calls her grandmother, “the predecessor.” The predecessor owned a stationary store with a special service. She was a scribe, using her exquisite writing to prepare greeting cards and invitations, but also to write letters to order for customers. The predecessor trained Poppo, starting when she was very young and requiring her to work hours each to write each script. She passed down the art of being a scribe. The store is part of their home. Poppo’s aunt cared for it after her grandmother died but then she died too. When she returns, Poppo is surprised that she is drawn to carry on the family tradition of running stationary store and serving as a scribe.
The novel takes us through Poppo’s life day to day as she befriends a neighbor and revives the scribe service her aunt did not have the skills to offer. Each customer seeking this service has a story with an immediate need. Poppo gives them attention. Sometimes she anguishes over what they ask of her. It is always something that they cannot write themselves. The different letters bring out both the bright and dark sides of human nature. Poppo, historically a loner, begins to connect to people. She offers them tea, interviews them, and figures out how, with the politesse of Japanese culture to both follow the “rules” of letter-writing and to send a perfect letter. Some become friends.
We also see into Poppo’s “ordinary” day to day life as she cleans the house, goes out for meals, cooks simple dishes and chats with her neighbor and new friends. There are days when Poppo engages in traditional observances in the town’s temples, something she did only rarely with the predecessor. On certain holidays, she cooks traditional food.
Best of all, each letter Poppo writes is fully illustrated in the novel allowing us to understand what they look like, the characters, ink and direction of the writing she carefully chose for the specific task. We know from her planning that Poppo also takes great care in choosing proper stationary and stamps to go with the theme of the letters. It is moving to look at these pages of script after reading what Poppo went through to create each perfect communication.
I loved this book! Seemingly simple, yet deeply meaningful. Highly recommend.
They Called me Bookworm 