"The Astral Library" | Reviewed by Susan Ferguson

In the novel “The Astral Library,” by Kate Quinn, the main character, Alexandria (Alix) Watson, is 26-years-old and has just hit rock bottom.

When Alix was 8, she was shuttled through the foster care system after her mother left her. Now Alix works three dead end jobs, can only afford to rent space on a friend’s sofa, knows that college is an impossible dream and has just had her identity stolen.

Feeling low and dejected, Alix heads to her favorite place, the Boston Public Library. Alix often spends her evenings in the high-vaulted reading room where she can decompress and breathe. Alix loves fantasy and dreams of traveling to far-off lands.

Alix has just hit her all-time low. Taking refuge in the library, she stumbles through a hidden door and is admitted to the Astral Library. It is a magical place, a place where the desperate and lost can escape to new lives through their favorite books. It is a place where readers can enter a book and become part of the story, but with strict rules. You can only enter books that are public domain, there can be no rewriting of the story, and you cannot be one of the story’s main characters.

Alix soon meets people who have experienced the miracles of the Astral Library: an abused wife, a neglected child, and other lost souls. Just as Alix is learning about the library’s idiosyncrasies, an enemy emerges threatening everyone’s safety in the Astral Library.

The ageless and caustic librarian tucks Alix under wing, showing her how to jump into books and how to transport through paintings. Readers will wonder what the enemy is after—the librarian, Alix, or the complete ruination of the library? When the librarian is injured, Alix suddenly finds herself in charge of the library. She recruits “lost” souls and as a force the group fights to save Astral Library—changing Alix’s life forever after.

“The Astral Library” is a story of fantastical adventure that takes readers on a literary journey through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen, the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes, the swampland of Huck and Tom, and the champagne laden parties of Gatsby. This cozy story is a shout out to libraries and librarians. It is a clever, feel-good book. Enjoy.

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