Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore

Alternate Titles

• Mister Penumbra's twenty-four hour bookstore

Description

The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, but after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything; instead, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele's behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends, but when they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the bookstore's secrets extend far beyond its walls.

First Sentence

Lost in the shadows of the shelves, I almost fall off the ladder.

Subjects

Other Editions

• Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour BookstoreFarrar, Straus and Giroux2012-01-01
• Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour bookstorePaperbackPicador2013-01-01