The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore
Chloe once dreamed of being a librarian, now her dreams are for a dishwasher or a new roof. She does work in a library but not as a librarian. She is a general city worker. She may be sent to work in another city office or she will shelve books, cover the desk, or discard the many decades of old books that have accumulated in the basement. It is during this task that she finds a copy of the scandalous banned book The Tropic of Cancer.
The discovery of this book and the story that unfolds around it are the subject of Lucy Gilmore’s latest novel, The Library of Borrowed Hearts.
Chloe’s quest to be a librarian was upended by her mother’s abandonment of Chloe’s siblings. Eleven year old Trixie (Beatrice) tried to care for her younger brothers (Theo and Noodle (Aloysius)) but CPS soon sent them to foster care. Chloe has them back home and is doing her best to raise them but money is tight. Selling this abandoned copy may net her a tidy sum as this version is a 1960 Mexico printing. The book was not allowed to be published and sold in the U.S.
She hopes to get enough for at least a down payment on the roof then discovers writing in the margins. At first disappointed that the value has now dropped she soon becomes intrigued. It appears C and J were corresponding with each other using passages in the book to further their flirtation/conversation.
But book values and flirtations have to wait for dinner, homework, and a new crisis. In a vain attempt to train their old dog to fetch, Noodle threw his Frisbee into the yard next door. Unlike the rest of the neighborhood Jasper Holmes has a beautiful yard and a bad disposition. Anything that comes into his yard never comes out. Knowing how much that Frisbee means to Noodle, Chloe heads next door. Her request for the toy is denied but with more conversation than usual.
Holmes doesn’t like the nickname Noodle then accuses her of wasting money. For Chloe that is the final straw and she tells him just how much $5.00 means to her family, even telling him about taking the book to sell. His response is to ask what book and appears stunned by her response. When he makes no move to bring her the Frisbee she leaves.
Once the kids are in bed she starts researching the book’s value but is soon caught up in the notes in the margins. Interrupted by someone at the door she opens it to Jasper Holmes on the doorstep with the Frisbee and an offer to buy the book. When she doesn’t name a price, he offers $5,000.00 then gives her a blank check. Handing over the book she realizes Jasper is J.
Chloe is now on a quest to discover any other volumes Jasper and C wrote in. One of the notes in The Tropic of Cancer referred to Hemingway novels. Chloe and her best friend Pepper are scouring all the Hemingway novels looking for notes when she is called to the hospital. Noodle is in the ER having fallen off a cliff!
Suffering a broken leg and bruised ribs, Noodle was found by Zach, a trainer at the survival camp. Zach teaches Air Force pilots how to survive after a crash. He is also a flirt as Chloe soon discovers. Dealing with the broken leg will be enough of a problem but the reason Noodle was running and fell worsens the situation. He hit a boy at school and was suspended for a month.
Forced to leave him home alone, Chloe is at work when Zach shows up. He wants an update on Aloysius, to invite Chloe out, and to return a Hemingway title. But, he emphasizes, he is not responsible for the writing in the margins. Thrilled to have another part of J and C’s story Chloe leaves to check on Noodle but he is gone. It seems Jasper has decided that Noodle should stay with him during the day. Could this be the beginning of a friendship with her grouchy neighbor?
Chloe has guessed that the C in the margins is a Catherine and she’s right. In chapters titled Catherine then later Jasper and 1960 the love story of J and C is told. As the novel flips between 1960 and present day we see how the past affects the future and the people we become. For Chloe J and C’s story is important because she sees some of herself in Jasper.
This novel is centered around a romance but it is so much more. It’s about love in all forms -for family, friends, community, books and each other. It’s also about sacrifice, forgiveness and learning to let go.
Gilmore’s characters have depth and with an intriguing story line this is a heartfelt read. You’ll find it in the new book section at the library.
Review by Patty Crane, Reference Librarian
