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    The Bookseller: A Novel
    The Bookseller: A Novel
    The Bookseller: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Bookseller: A Novel

    Written by Cynthia Swanson

    Narrated by Kathe Mazur

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    A provocative and hauntingly powerful debut novel, The Bookseller follows a woman in the 1960s who wrestles to reconcile her daily life as a single bookstore owner with the alternate reality she suddenly begins to dream about each night, in which she is a happily-married wife and mother.

    Nothing is as permanent as it appears . . .

    Denver, 1962: Kitty Miller has come to terms with her unconventional single life. She loves the bookshop she runs with her best friend, Frieda, and enjoys complete control over her day-to-day existence. She can come and go as she pleases, answering to no one. There was a man once, a doctor named Kevin, but it didn’t quite work out the way Kitty had hoped.

    Then the dreams begin.

    Denver, 1963: Katharyn Andersson is married to Lars, the love of her life. They have beautiful children, an elegant home, and good friends. It's everything Kitty Miller once believed she wanted—but it only exists when she sleeps.

    Convinced that these dreams are simply due to her overactive imagination, Kitty enjoys her nighttime forays into this alternate world. But with each visit, the more irresistibly real Katharyn’s life becomes. Can she choose which life she wants? If so, what is the cost of staying Kitty, or becoming Katharyn?

    As the lines between her worlds begin to blur, Kitty must figure out what is real and what is imagined. And how do we know where that boundary lies in our own lives?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateSep 15, 2020
    ISBN9780063038783
    Author

    Cynthia Swanson

    Cynthia Swanson is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Bookseller. An Indie Next selection and the winner of the 2016 WILLA Award for Historical Fiction, The Bookseller has been translated into a dozen languages. Cynthia has published short fiction in numerous journals and been a Pushcart Prize nominee. She lives with her family in Denver, Colorado. The Glass Forest is her second novel.

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    Reviews for The Bookseller

    3.5/5

    299 ratings33 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be an interesting premise that kept them reading till the end. However, some reviewers found the writing to be pretty terrible. Overall, the book tells a well-told story about the many dilemmas society places women in.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      The Bookseller is a psychological novel in which the reader spends as much time inside the head and dreams of its main character as it does outside her thoughts. Sometimes, in fact, it is difficult to tell which is the real world and which is the dream world - and that is as true for Kitty, "the bookseller" for whom the book is titled, as it is for the reader. Fans of the unreliable narrator device are definitely going to enjoy this one.Kitty and her best friend Frieda are concerned that the little bookstore they own together may not be long for this world. Once a thriving place that could depend on walk-in customers served by the city's public transportation system, the bookstore is becoming more and more isolated every day because walk-in traffic has all but disappeared along with the city buses that used to service the neighborhood streets. Worse, new malls are springing up on the outskirts of the city to service suburban customers who no longer even need to come into town to do their shopping. Perhaps that is why Kitty lives an entirely different life in her dreams, one in which she is known as Katherine, a name more suitable for the young mother of three children that she is in her dream world. These dreams, though, are no ordinary dreams. They are so real, so detailed, and so happy that Kitty looks forward to visiting Katherine's world more and more - especially to spend time with Katherine's completely devoted husband, Lars. Things are definitely better in Katherine's world than in Kitty's - at least for a while. But are things ever that simple? At the realization that neither of her worlds is perfect, Kitty finds it more and more difficult to live in either of them. If she could only blend the two, she thinks, picking and choosing what she likes best from each, her life would be perfect - but Kitty knows that is impossible. Then she begins to wonder which of her worlds is the real one, and more importantly, which one she will choose to inhabit. For the most part, The Bookseller is a well-written and intriguing novel, one in which the author slowly provides clues and revelations that will keep the reader guessing right along with its main character. The problem is that all of that tension ends when Kitty very suddenly figures everything out, and more unbelievably, immediately accepts what she has learned about herself. The abruptness of the plot resolution left me feeling that The Bookseller may have been edited with a bit too much zeal. That said, The Bookseller does offer an intriguing psychological puzzle that readers will enjoy trying to solve as they turn its pages. In the end, it is not a particularly difficult problem to solve, but novel offers a fun ride along the way.
    • 4/5
      Kitty keeps having the most interesting and realistic dreams where she finds herself married to someone she almost dated with three kids in a suburban life in Denver. In reality, Kitty is single in her 30's and co-owner of a floundering bookstore. With no boyfriend or children in her near future, her alternate dream world may be better than her real life. However, as the dreams become more frequent, Kitty starts to lose time and perspective about which life is the primary one and which one she prefers.I enjoyed the parallel universe theme of this novel but found it to be generally boring. Both of Kitty's lives are relatively boring and as such, neither appeared preferable to me. I also thought that the details and mindset of the characters were too modern for the 1960's time period. Nonetheless, it was generally enjoyable, as it makes the reader wonder how their life might have been different if other choices were made along the way.
    • 2/5
      An interesting premise that kept me reading till the end, but the writing was pretty terrible …
    • 4/5
      Nearly everyone has had the experience of just wanting to go to bed to forget the stresses of the day. To avoid a reality that is less than pleasant, all you have to do is fall asleep. But what if your dreams become better than your real life? And what if, after a while, you aren’t sure what is real and what isn’t? This the life that Kitty lives – a single bookseller by day, and a married mom when she sleeps. And if she could choose, which life would it be? A compelling story with well thought-out characters in an unusual plot. In this interesting tale, the author cleverly illustrates that dreams are not always perfect, and eventually, the truth must be confronted, no matter how painful.
    • 5/5
      I well told story about the many dilemma’s society places women in.
    • 2/5
      I think the book was overhyped which I didn’t find to be true. I wasn’t resonating with Katharine; she wanted an outlet to relieve her stressful family life and escape the tragedy that engulfed her family. The book is nothing but a diary. I have no idea why the book rights were sold because I doubt that it will succeed.
    • 5/5
      Kitty goes to sleep and dreams of herself in a different life. The dreams are recurring. Which life is the real one? The one where she is Kitty, a single woman running a bookstore with her best friend, or Katharyn, happily married mother of triplets? I don't usually like books like this, but somehow this one worked for me. Characters are well drawn and likeable. I kept trying to figure out what was going on with Kitty/Katharyn. The ending is satisfying, although maybe a little too pat.
    • 5/5
      What a wonderful story and the author's imagination exceeded the amazing imagination of Kitty/Katharyn, the main character! The back and forth between her real life and dream life was beautifully written ---- what IS reality? The reader is left with a mystery right up to the ending...perfect!
    • 3/5
      This book is like an episode of the Twilight Zone. Kitty Miller is a single thirty-something independent woman living in Denver in the early 1960s. She and her best friend Frieda own Sisters bookstore in a part of town that used to be vibrant. One night she goes to sleep as always and has a vivid dream of living another life as a happily married wife and mother Katharyn Andersson. This dream recurs often - picking up in different spots, though always in the same time of year. She begins to piece together her role: mother of triplets, one of whom is autistic, wife to Lars, living in a contemporary house with housekeeper Alma. The author does a good job of conveying the uncertainty and confusion of trying to understand all this. When Kitty wakes, it is business as usual with her bookshop and her lonely, routine spinster life with her cat, Frieda and her parents. She does some investigating trying to find out more about Lars, their home address, his business, but all turn up empty. The dreams gradually increase and also begin to blur lines between waking and sleeping and suddenly the pendulum swings: which life is reality? Both are so convincing. As the narrator remarks: "We remember so little of our lives, really, insofar as the finer parts go." 211. This is an interesting look at close calls and what-ifs and the multiple forking paths our lives take, seemingly without our notice or consent. Evocative of It's a Wonderful Life, which the book humorously mentions! Unfortunately, timing is everything and having just read the Double Bind, I felt like I needed something more straight-forward and the mind game was more distracting than gratifying.
    • 5/5
      The Bookseller is a first-time novel for Cynthia Swanson. And a glorious one it is! I was really intrigued by this book's blurb, so I waited for my turn to read it at my local library's Wilbor page. I finished this novel, cover-to-cover, in nearly one sitting. I couldn't put it down, no matter how hard I tried. Katharyn/Kitty was calling me the moment I tried to walk away. She pulled me in and held on until the very last page.

      'What if...?' This question has always tantalized us all. In the Bookseller, Swanson takes us on a startling journey where a woman is thrust into an alternate world that might have been, if she had made different decisions. The Bookseller is a wonderful exploration of identity, love and loss. The 1960's tone is elegant, slightly mysterious, and thoroughly engrossing.

      The concept of what is truly real and what isn't has always fascinated me, and this book delivered. Well written and sharp, it's the story of a woman who has a life as a single woman living that bohemian freedom of the 60's, and she also runs a bookshop with her best friend. But she keeps having recurring dreams of being married with children. They are so real, the emotions so alive...her reality begins to blur.

      What is real and what isn't? The two conflicting realities just keep you reading, and yes the ending did surprise me! (You know, this would definitely make a GREAT movie.) The novel, in many subtle ways, really captured a generation I never thought I would miss but I do. I guess that's what growing older does to you. I would like to say that I had it figured out all along, but I'd be lying. The twists and turns had me glued to the pages. I thought I had it all figured out, several times, but I was wrong. The journey Katharyn/Kitty is on is like nothing else I've read. The concept is so unique and intriguing. An alternate reality, where she mixes her dreams with her real life... This just makes me want to start reading this novel, all over again.

      This is a story of a woman coming to terms with who she is. And she, and the novel, are beautiful. Five stars, an excellent piece of work, and one of my favorites this year.
    • 4/5
      I had to keep reading to find out what was real and what was imagined. Well done, Cynthia!
    • 3/5
      About a woman (sometimes called Kitty, sometimes Katharyn) who dreams herself back and forth between two realities: in one, she is a single woman who spends her days running a bookstore with her best friend Frieda and missing her vacationing parents; in the other, she is married to Lars, an architect, and has triplets, one of whom is autistic. This is one of those trauma stories, in which you only find out at the end of the book which is the reality and which the dream. Although pleasant enough to read, I do think there are some logical fallacies here. I'm not sure that at least in the one reality, she shouldn't be escorted to a place of psychological help, given her behavior. Also, I'm not sure that the trauma that instigates this disjunction is, well, traumatic enough. The book takes place in the early 1960s, and the period details are fun.
    • 4/5
      Kitty and Frieda own a book store that has fallen on hard times. They have to decide what to do. At the same time Kitty starts having dreams about an alternate life where she is married and has children. As she goes between lives she wonders what has happened to cause certain situations but she does not want to ask anyone because she does not want to appear like she is crazy.

      I liked Kitty. I also liked her at Katharyn in her alternate life. She had some interesting ways to figure out the whys and whats of that life. I liked Lars in her alternate life. Frieda I was ambivalent about in both lives but I could understand what happened between Kitty/Katharyn and Frieda. Not sure if I am sympathetic enough about it. The story held my interest as I wanted to know what no one would talk to Katharyn about. The questions get answered eventually but it was a drawn out process.

      I enjoyed this book and have gotten more books for the TBR list.
    • 3/5
      At what point when one continuously dreams them self in an alternate life, filled with alternate family, does one wonder which is, indeed the reality? What if that life was better? (Which it is.) Katharyn “Kitty” is living such a duality. A co-owner of a bookstore in Denver or a dutiful wife and mother of two. It’s kind of an interesting plot, but just got fed up with the back & forth, the arguing, the strain. As much as I love books about bookstore owners, this one just wasn’t for me.
    • 3/5
      The book starts off very strong on the chick-lit side before it moves into more serious topics (coping, memory, parenting, etc, to be vague and non-spoiler), though it never reaches serious literary fiction realms. But for what it is, it's not bad. I almost stopped reading after the first "gratuitous" sex scene (not because it's gratuitous but because of what it made me expect from the rest of the book -- that is, very little), but it is the one and only. There's also a random mention of the number of Christian Reformed churches in the area, which is an unexpected detail (and irrelevant to the story).
      The story has a gimmick which is interesting psychologically, but otherwise I'd put it on a shelf with Jodi Piccoult.
    • 5/5
      An amazing first novel. Absolutely amazing! I can envision this novel becoming a classic as it is a provocative and thoughtful presentation of a question that every person asks of themselves at some time during their adult life - "What if I had taken a different path on my life journey?" -or- "What if I had made a different choice at a life-altering decision time during my life journey?"

      The movement between the character's worlds - one as Kitty - one as Kathryn - is seamless and the question of which is her 'real life' is not revealed until the final pages. The writing is masterful, powerful, thoughtful, and riveting. I do not recall becoming drawn into a story - and particularly by presentation of a first novel - since reading "The Orchardist" by Amanda Coplin in 2013.
    • 5/5
      A woman develops the ability--or perhaps the curse--to view a version of her life in a dream, and reacts to the wonder and disappointments of a reality she cannot remember choosing or knowing. Swanson shows real skill in this debut, deftly portraying the character's struggle to understand what is happening to her and what the two lives she lives and dreams say about who she has been and who she dares to become. Marvelous!
    • 3/5
      This is a good debut novel and I enjoyed it, but I just didn't love it. I listened to the audiobook and I think the narrator did a good job. I didn't particularly like the main character, mainly because I thought she was pathetic.

      The story is about Kittie/Katherine who lives in parallel worlds. In one world, she's single and working at a bookstore with her best friend. In the other world, she's married to Lars and they have a set of 6-year-old triplets, 2 boys and one girl. One of the boys has autism. Both worlds take place in the early 1960's, but the married world is occurring a few months into the future.

      There's confusion about which life is real and which is imaginary. You'll have to read it and decide for yourself which one is which. This is an interesting story concept, but I would have preferred a stronger main character. It wasn't just Kittie/Katherine that needed more character development; it was her husband Lars and the housekeeper too.

      I'd still recommend this book to people who love debut fiction and discovering new authors.
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyed this novel. The story was fresh and different from anything that I'd read before and seemed to turn on a what-if instance in time. Kitty/Katharyn gets to live her life as it always was meant to be, but in her dreams she lives her life if she had stayed on the phone just a few seconds longer and all the changes that would have brought. At times she's not sure which life she'd rather be in and wishes she could pick and choose bits from both. Until such time comes and her worlds collide. Then the story is a testament to the things your mind when it feels it absolutely necessary.

      Set in the early 1960's in Denver in the Platt Park neighborhood where I lived before moving to my current home just outside of Denver, I was fascinated by the history and locale. I'm pretty certain that the Sisters Bookstore from the novel was located right behind my old duplex. And other than the Vogue theater most every place she mentioned still exists, albeit in a much different form.

      I'm highly recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      a thoughtful and quick "what if I had this alternate life I often wonder about" story, starring: books! 1960s! streetcars! haunting dreams that are maybe real but hey who really knows! BFF! Aslan the cat! librarians! autism! and, ghosts!
    • 4/5
      What an interesting concept. When Kitty Miller goes to sleep she is in a different life only a few months ahead of where she is now in her life. She is married with three kids. In her real life she is single running a bookstore with her best friend Frieda. Her dreams feel very real with her and she is finding out there are parts of her dreams she likes and parts of her awake life she likes. There are also parts that are disappointing in both lives. But are they really dreams. I really enjoyed this book an highly recommend it.
    • 4/5
      The Bookseller by Cynthia Swansen
      1960's Denver and Kitty Miller runs a bookstore. She has dreams at night that make her think her choices should've been different.
      She was to meet Lauris and they talked on the phone but he never showed up and died of a heart attack.
      Book starts out with Katherine and she's awoken from her husband to take care of the sick child Missy.
      She is able to travel between the two lives and she strives to help others with books and reading.
      Katherine tries to figure out what year she goes back in time and forward, the intervals etc as she quizzes the children.
      She recalls her life with her best girlfriend and they own the book store. She is in a marriage with Lauris and 3 kids but her parents have died. She goes back and forth into her old life and can't put the pieces together.
      She gets down to the exact minute her whole life changed and she talks to Freida about it all. We find out all the missing pieces of what happened as the book goes on..
      Confusing at times til you realize what's going on.
      I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
    • 4/5
      This was a new author for me. Because it had some very good pre-published reviews, I decided to give it a try. The story ended different then I thought it would. It was a unique different and very believable. I enjoyed the characters and the switching between daydream and real life. This book was enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      A truly enjoyable read about a 1960s woman caught between two alternative realities - one in which she is a struggling bookstore co-owner with her lifelong best friend and another in which she is a housewife coping with an autistic son. As her worlds start to overlap, she must face up to the losses each world contains and determine which reality is truly real. I enjoyed Kitty's (or Katharyn's) journey through her life and found the ending surprisingly satisfying.
    • 4/5
      Cynthia Swanson’s debut, THE BOOKSELLER is a stunning, dreamlike, intriguing story of two worlds. One troubled woman in search of a different life. Caught between two mysterious worlds; confusing fact and fiction. This remarkable novel will transport you to another place. It is almost, spellbinding.

      Katharyn (Kitty) operates Sisters, a Denver bookstore she owns with her best friend, Frieda. She is single, loves her apartment and her lifestyle. They have been friends for years and worked so hard to get the business loan and finally have their dream business.

      For some odd reason, when Kitty/ Katharyn, sleeps she is dreaming of a different life. She is married to a man named Lars, a successful architect. She is a housewife with children. He is talking to her in bed. He seems kind, good-looking, and thoughtful. Her mom would be proud, she landed this one with beautiful children, possibly twins? However, she cannot imagine living this life and caring for other people. She likes being independent. Who are these children? Why is anyone depending on her?

      Set in the early sixties, everyone got married when they graduated from high school or during college. It was all about marriage before the ripe old age of 30. Here we have the main protagonist, Kitty/ Katharyn, a 38-year-old single woman who runs a failing bookstore with her life-long best friend and lives alone with her cat. Who is the housekeeper? Why is she here? Then she recalls her mom and dad are on a trip. A plane? She misses her mom and needs to talk with her. The other world.

      However, when did the bookstore start to fail? Everyone loved quaint bookstores? What is this about malls and the internet? As she drifts off to sleep, her world spins out of control. Which life is real; is she married to Lars and do they have children? What happened to her old boyfriend, Kevin from years ago? Why is she home and not at the bookstore? What happened to her best friend? Are they estranged? From fantasy to reality, she almost seems to float between the two worlds.

      There is also a little boy named Greg, and she works with him creating stories of baseball as a children’s book. As the lines are blurred between single life and married life, she slowly begins to backtrack to piece together her life and when everything happened. As the dreams become more real, she recalls things in her life. There was a chance meeting. Does she need to choose which life she really wants?

      There is so much to this complex, yet alluring tale so do not want to give away any clues or spoilers. I really found myself drawn to the story. The audiobook narrated by Kathe Mazur, intensified the mood, transcending you to another place, as her soft voice put you inside the mind of the narrator, her confusion, the setting, and the emotions. Her delivery enhanced the overall experience, leaving you in a dream like mesmerizing state of mind (like the novel).

      If you are familiar with the sixties you will enjoy the books, music, clothing, and the scenes played out. Cannot put my finger on the book; however, for some reason I am strongly reminded a little of Ellen Meister’s The Other Life and Kristin Bair O'Keeffe’s The Art of Floating.

      Cynthia Swanson did an excellent job of holding your attention, with easy flow narrative, keeping you glued to the pages as you slowly solve the mystery of Kitty/ Katharyn, in this provocative and hauntingly powerful debut novel of love, grief, tragedy, coping, fate, and life choices. Look forward to reading more from this author.
    • 4/5
      The road not taken is often a popular vehicle for storytelling and when Kitty Miller begins having dreams about her life as Katharyn, a married woman with hubby and kids, I was hooked. Kitty, along with her oldest friend Frieda, are career women, who have opened their own bookstore in Denver, Colorado. Katharyn stems out of a short period of time, when Kitty wanted to re-invent herself after a long time love affair ended. Katharyn posted a lonely hearts type ad, and Lars became her soul mate match. I admit, one of the reasons I ranked this so highly is because how quickly I wanted to keep reading, to see how these two worlds would eventually collide. Fans of Mad Men will like the period descriptions, although there I felt there were a couple anachronisms that will be heartily argued in a book group setting. Swanson does a fantastic job at creating these characters and following the story to the twist at the end.
    • 5/5
      I frequently judge books by the cover and sometimes simply by the title. How could I possibly ignore Cynthia Swanson’s novel, The Bookseller. I rely on the “Rule of 50” to protect me. Kitty Miller, the main character does run a book store with her long-time friend, Frieda. But the story takes twists and turns which stimulate the imagination. While, I did figure out what was going on in the novel pretty early on, I kept reading, because the story was that gripping.

      The book jacket reveals Cynthia Swanson is a writer and a designer of mid-century style. She has published a number of short stories, one of which garnered a Pushcart Prize nomination. She lives in Denver with her husband and three children. The Bookseller is her first novel.

      Kitty Miller is a single, 30-something woman who shares the running of Sisters Bookshop on Pearl Street in Denver. The city had recently diverted a streetcar route which had passed in front of Sisters. Now, without the foot traffic, business has fallen off, and Frieda and Kitty are trying to decide what to do. Frieda wants to move to a strip mall in a busy shopping district, but Kitty wants to keep going in the hope things will turn around soon.

      Years before, Kitty placed a personal ad in a Denver newspaper, but all the responses seem to be duds – except for one: Lars Andersson. He impressed Kitty as a quiet, sensitive, kind man, with a number of interests shared with Kitty. They agree to meet for coffee in a couple of days. She is excited and gussies herself up for the date. However, Lars never appears. Kitty is really disappointed, and she gives up the quest for a husband and devotes her energies to the shop.

      Then the dreams begin. Swanson writes, “This is not my bedroom. // Where am I? Gasping and pulling unfamiliar bedcovers up to my chin, I strain to collect my senses. But no explanation for my whereabouts comes to mind. // The last thing I remember, it was Wednesday evening and I was painting my bedroom a bright, saturated yellow. Frieda, who had offered to help, was appraising my color choice. ‘Too much sunniness for a bedroom,’ she pronounced, in that Miss Know-It-All tone of hers. ‘How will you ever sleep in on gloomy days with a room like this?’” (1). However, Kitty cannot recall anything further of that day. She assumes she is still asleep, Swanson again, “This dream bedroom is quite a bit larger and swankier than my actual bedroom. The walls are sage green, nothing like the deep yellow I chose for home. The furniture is a matched set, sleek and modern. The bedspread is neatly folded at the foot of the bed; soft, coordinating linens encase my body. It’s delightful, in a too-put together sort of way” (2).

      As the novel progresses, Kitty swings back and forth between her life as Kitty, friend of Frieda and co-proprietor of Sisters. She begins to fear sleeping. Kathryn, as she is called by a bewildering number of people who know her, but she has no clue who any of these people are. She learns she is married to Lars Andersson, they have three children, triplets, and they live an idyllic life in a ritzy suburb of Denver.

      As the dream world deepens, Kitty becomes more and more concerned. Some characters from her life at the bookstore are in the dream, and some are not. Aslan, her beloved cat, occupies both realms.

      An interesting and gripping tale of a woman trying to deal with two different worlds and vastly different sets of problems, Cynthia Swanson’s debut novel, The Bookseller, certainly merits 5 stars.

      --Jim, 5/14/15
    • 4/5
      The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson started out capturing my attention. If it’s a story about time travel or an alternate time experience, I am in.

      This is a quote from Amazon: “A provocative and hauntingly powerful debut novel reminiscent of Sliding Doors, The Bookseller follows a woman in the 1960s who must reconcile her reality with the tantalizing alternate world of her dreams.” Ok, so now I am off to request Sliding Doors.

      There are two time lines but the time differences are minor, 1962 and 1963. It’s not like the Outlander series where the main character goes back in time 100 or more years. The main characters, Kitty and Frieda, are in both time lines but it appears Kitty is the only one “traveling.” The book is set in Denver although there isn’t much description about Denver. For the lack of description the venue could be Anytown, USA. . Kitty drifts between the two years and has a slightly different life in each.

      In 1962 Kitty is a single woman, running a failing bookstore with her best friend Frieda. They enjoy the time they spend together and are trying to think of ways to keep it going. Being single she enjoys a life where she isn’t tied to a schedule and comes and goes as she wishes.

      When Kitty goes to sleep she “awakens” in 1963 in a home she is unfamiliar with a loving husband and three children. Her husband Lars clearly loves her dearly, showing affection and stroking her cheek as she wakes up. He calls her Katharyn instead of Kitty. She seems to instinctively know what to do when her daughter has a fever, fetching aspirin and cold towels and playing mother as if she does it every day. Kitty is childless in her “real” life so is amazed that she knows where things are located in this house and what she needs to do with her sick daughter. Then she wakes up and is single again.

      There isn’t a husband named Lars. Later in the book Kitty looks for the address of the home she lives in with Lars and finds a vacant lot. Homes are built up around the lot in this neighborhood but the one she shares with Lars isn’t there.

      Kitty’s parents play a good sized role in both timelines. In 1962 they are on vacation in Hawaii, her mother sending postcards several times a week. Kitty reads these cards all the time and misses her parents. In 1963 Katharyn’s parents are very involved in the lives of their grandchildren.

      This book kept my interest and I read it in a pretty good time because I was invested. Which world is the real world? Or do both exist in different time lines and Kitty or Katharyn will have to choose which life she wants? Near the end of the book I felt it fizzled out. It wasn’t a satisfactory ending for me but then I asked myself, how would I want it to end.

      SPOILER - My theory on what was at work here:

      I don’t know what the author intended but my thoughts are that Kitty/Katharyn had a nervous breakdown. The life she chose, or the real world, was the one where she was married to Lars. In that reality her parents had died. In the 1962 world, her world without a husband and children, her parents were still alive and strong influences in her daily life. My theory is she couldn’t deal with their deaths and had a breakdown, reliving or conjuring their existence in her mind.

      But, as I said that is my theory and I have no idea what the author intended. Would I read more of Cynthia Swanson’s work? Absolutely. I enjoyed 95% of The Bookseller and since it did keep my interest I would certainly read more by this author.
    • 4/5
      People often wonder about what would have happened if they made a different choice or took a different path...well The Bookseller is a take on that premise. This book took on a sort of mystical turn where the dreams of the past started to take over the present. It is unusual story line and one that was like none other I have read. It is set in the 60's which I found very interesting and compelling. I also adore the cover. This is a very different novel and one that the more I think about it, I really think is special. You know why...because I cannot stop thinking about it! 4 stars!!!
    • 5/5
      Kitty wakes up and she's not in her bedroom. She is in an unfamiliar room, but the last thing she remembers is painting her bedroom with help from her best friend and co-owner of their bookstore. What has happened?

      So begins Cynthia Swanson's compelling novel, The Bookseller. A handsome man comes into the unfamiliar room, claiming to be her husband, and reminding her that she has two young children who need her, one of whom is running a fever.

      But Kitty is not married and does not have children, and why is this man calling her Katharyn, her given name, instead of Kitty, the name everyone calls her?

      Kitty awakens from the realistic dream and it's still 1962 and she has to get to work at the bookstore, where Frieda will be waiting for her. Slowly we find out more about Kitty: she used to be a 5th grade teacher, she is very close to her loving parents, she was jilted by her long-time boyfriend and hasn't been dating much lately.

      Things at the bookstore haven't been going so well since the bus line that ran right in front of the store changed routes, and Frieda wants to consider moving the shop to a better location in a shopping center.

      But the dreams continue, where it appears that Kitty leads a completely different life. We find out more about her family, including the fact that her young son has autism. I found this fact very intriguing as I don't know how much was known about autism in 1962.

      In her dream life, Kitty and Frieda no longer own the store together, and they don't see each other anymore. She has trouble dealing with her son, while her loving husband seems more capable in this area.

      Some things are the same in her dream life and her real life. She has the same cat, and in her dream home, her photos are on the wall are the same ones in her real life.

      As her dream life goes on, it appears that something traumatic has happened. Her husband is concerned about her and he references things that have happened that neither the reader nor Kitty seem to be aware of.

      In her real life, Kitty begins to lose days. She doesn't know what has happened in the days prior, and things begin to confuse her. Fans of Liane Moriarty's What Alice Forgot will enjoy this page-turner of a novel, one that I finished in two sittings.

      Swanson weaves a riveting story, one that will keep the reader guessing as to what exactly is going on in Kitty's life to cause these dreams. Her descriptions of Kitty's surroundings are particularly well done, and that is no surprise considering the author is also a mid-century designer.

      I liked the characters, especially the relationships between Kitty and her parents and Kitty and Frieda. I found it interesting that the father knew how to better deal with the autistic son than the boy's mother, given that back in 1962 generally fathers were less involved with their children's daily lives than their mothers.

      The resolution of the story surprised me a bit, and I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it, but the journey Swanson took us on to get there was a thought-provoking, emotional and compelling one.