Ann Patchett will open a bookstore of her own
I always celebrate the arrival of a new book by Ann Patchett. It was no surprise to me to see a Monitor reviewer call her latest, 鈥淪tate of Wonder,鈥� the must-read novel of the summer. But pleasure in her latest release might be eclipsed by pleasure at her latest endeavor: a bookstore.
The author became something of a household name for her 2002 novel "Bel Canto" but had already been a readers鈥� favorite for years, creating quietly lovely, original works like 鈥淭he Patron Saint of Liars鈥� and 鈥淭he Magician鈥檚 Assistant.鈥� She鈥檚 spent most of her life in Nashville, a city where she鈥檚 had a low profile. 鈥淲hen you say you're a writer in Nashville, they ask, 'What kind of music?鈥�.
But there are advantages to living among the people who have known you since childhood. As Patchett鈥檚 been recounting in interviews on her book tour,
a frame shop where she has been a customer since high school asked her if they should stock 鈥淪tate of Wonder.鈥� They made the offer because, sadly, Nashville's bookstores 鈥� from big-box chains to the 30-year-old 鈥� have been shutting down.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very weird to have a book coming out without a bookstore,鈥� . 鈥淲hen Davis-Kidd closed, I thought, 鈥業 don鈥檛 want to live in a city without a bookstore.鈥� 鈥� So according to Patchett says she鈥檚 teaming up with a Random House sales rep named Karen Hayes who had already been planning to launch an indie bookstore in Nashville. No word on how involved Patchett will be in day-to-day operations, but hearing her voice light up when she leaves no doubt that it鈥檚 a personal passion.
As with Patchett鈥檚 fictional moves, the story comes with a little bit of serendipity: She told the Tennessean that she had once applied for a summer job with Davis-Kidd, the bookstore whose closure got her thinking about a bookstore of her own. They turned her down, preferring employees with more experience.
Hopefully, by now, all her years on the other end of the reading experience will count as work study.
Rebekah Denn is a Monitor contributor.
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