Remainders of the Day by Shaun Bythell (2022 Profile Books hardcover 377pp)
This is not going to be a long review – not because the book is bad but because I feel like I’ve sung the praises of these excellent books before so think I will just be repeating myself.
For the uninitiated, Shaun Bythell is the owner of The Bookshop, located in rural South-West Scotland (Wigtown to be precise). Since 2017 he’s been publishing these books (“The Diary of a Bookseller” & “Confessions of a Bookseller”) each of which cover roughly a year in his somewhat hectic life. We follow day-to-day life in the shop itself, local events, the local people and of course all things book-related. Bythell is somehow warm and wry but at the same time scathing and sarcastic towards his friends, customers, and life’s travails.
Each month in this volume starts with a quote from a century-old bookseller’s memoir and Bythell then reflects on how much things have or haven’t really changed in the business. Then we launch into the expanded diary entries. A lot of Bythell’s time is taking up preparing for then recovering from the annual Wigtown Festival in September during which his bookshop becomes something of a community hub. Other times he’s travelling to look at and potentially purchase books being disposed of by estates or people having to down-size their accommodation. Most of the time he’s simply dealing with customers and trying to get his computer and online presence to work.
Remainders of the Day covers the time period between February 2016 and early February 2017. In a personal comment to me on Facebook he once stated he had roughly 5 years’ worth of entries he could edit and expand on to publish if he so desires. I hope he does continue on but I note that his life has changed quite a lot since this book was written – he’s now married and has small children.
It was a joy to be once again immersed in Bythell’s world and catch up on what seem like old friends again. Unfortunately perhaps these books are a quick read – if you have the free time you can race through them in one or two sittings then feel a little lost when you’ve finished.
