46 pages • 1 hour read
Michiko Aoyama, Transl. Alison WattsWhat You Are Looking For Is in the Library
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 4Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary: “Hiroya, 30, NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training)”
Thirty-year-old Hiroya Suda lives at home with his mom in Tokyo. He finished design school and doesn’t have a job. He often wonders what happened to him and why he still doesn’t know what to do with his life.
One day, Hiroya’s mom comes home from shopping and asks Hiroya to return to the market for a daikon radish. The market is located at the community center. After getting the daikon, Hiroya notices someone at the center with a Monger mascot from one of his favorite manga series (190). He learns that the librarian Komachi made it. In the library, he talks to Nozomi about manga and she directs him to the reference desk for more recommendations. Komachi is surprised to hear how many old manga series Hiroya is familiar with. Hiroya tells her all about the manga café that his uncle used to own. Growing up, Hiroya spent all his time there. He’d read manga and work on his own drawings. He went to school for illustration, but hasn’t been able to find work in his field. He tells Komachi about his dreams of being a manga artist and she gives him a felted airplane and some book recommendations, including Evolution: A Visual Record. The book is too big to carry home, but Nozomi promises to hold it for him so he can read it when he visits the center.
On Saturday, Hiroya takes the train to his old school for his class reunion. They’re opening the time capsule, and he’s desperate to retrieve the piece of paper he contributed (201). He’s embarrassed by what he wrote and doesn’t want anyone else to see it. At the school, Hiroya runs into his former classmate Seitaro. The organizers pass out the time capsule papers, after which two bullies start berating Seitaro for wanting to be a writer. Hiroya feels angry with them, but doesn’t say anything. Seitaro stands up for himself, revealing that he’s still writing even though he hasn’t been published yet (205).
Hiroya and Seitaro leave the reunion and go out for coffee. Seitaro thanks Hiroya for always encouraging his writing when they were growing up. Hiroya remembers the stories Seitaro shared with him, and how impressive they were. Seitaro tells him that he still wants to write and is going to keep trying until he gets published. They exchange information before saying goodbye, planning to keep in touch.
Hiroya returns to the library to read his book. The book tells the story of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace’s relationship. Darwin got all the credit for Wallace’s ideas, which reminds Hiroya of a classmate in art school who would steal his designs. He stops reading and starts drawing, inspired by a fossilized bird image in the text. Nozomi appears, sees the drawing, and exclaims at Hiroya’s skill. Hiroya says he’s going to throw it away, but Nozomi convinces him to give it to her instead.
Hiroya returns to the center and chats with another worker named Mrs. Muroi. She tells Hiroya about her job and her relationship with Komachi. She also informs Hiroya that she’s taking some time off soon, as her daughter is having a baby. Afterward, Hiroya continues reading at the library. He chats with Nozomi, too, who informs him that Komachi used to be her teacher. She goes on to explain how Komachi inspired her dreams of becoming a librarian. She’s working as a library assistant now so that she can get the experience she needs. They continue chatting about career paths, and Nozomi encourages Hiroya’s drawings.
That night, Hiroya’s mom tells him that his brother is coming into town for a visit. Hiroya dreads the visit, as his brother has always been a higher achiever than him. He’s convinced that his brother is the son his mom always wanted and that he’s a disappointment. He sits in his room studying his felted plane and thinking about how useless he is (223).
Hiroya returns to the library the next day. He continues reading his book and starts thinking about evolution and his life and family. Komachi notices that he’s upset and Hiroya explains his frustrations with the Darwin and Wallace story. Komachi gives her opinion on the account.
Seitaro calls Hiroya to tell him that Maple Publications is going to publish his book. He thanks Hiroya for his encouragement over the years and they make plans to meet up and celebrate. Afterward, Hiroya sits outside the community center and thinks about his life. He pulls his time capsule contribution out of his pocket and reads it for the first time since the reunion. He’s surprised that he didn’t write what he thought he’d written. He didn’t want to be a famous artist, but wanted to make drawings that people remembered (231). The next day, he returns to the library with his art supplies and starts working on new drawings. While there, he learns about an opening at the center, because Mrs. Muroi is away.
Hiroya starts working at the community center four days a week. He uses his first paycheck to buy his mom flowers and pay her back for supporting him. He’s realized that she didn’t give up on him even when he felt bad about himself.
When Hiroya’s temporary position at the center ends, the staff invites him to take a part-time position. He loves the work and makes new friends through the job. Meanwhile, he continues working on his art.
Chapter 4 Analysis
In Chapter 4, the novel expands its explorations of meaning and direction, community and connection within the context of 30-year-old Hiroya Suda’s first person point of view account. The chapter follows the same narrative and formal principles as Chapters 1, 2, 3, but this time presents Hiroya’s distinct self-discovery journey. Like Tomoka, Ryo, and Natsumi, Hiroya feels lost, alone, and defeated at the start of the novel. He doesn’t understand how everyone else in his life seems to have moved on, while he’s still stuck at home without a job or direction. Much like Ryo’s character from Chapter 2, Hiroya knows that he has a dream. He has loved to draw since he was a child; he earned a degree in illustration and design; and he’s always hoped to become a professional manga artist. Although he can conceptualize what he wants, he doesn’t know how to exact his dreams or to take specific actions to pursue them. Like Tomoka, Ryo, and Natsumi, he must therefore learn how to seek help and advice from others in order to rediscover a sense of meaning and to follow a specific direction.
Hiroya’s relationships with Nozomi, Komachi, and Seitaro fuel his transformation. Much like Tomoka, Ryo, and Natsumi, Hiroya doesn’t expect to develop an attachment to the Hatori Community House library or to establish close relationships through this setting when he first visits it. The community center is a symbolic representation of the community that all of the characters need, including Hiroya. The setting thus grants Hiroya access to a network of individuals who share similar interests, and who also have personal histories and dreams of their own. In particular, Hiroya’s conversations with Nozomi and Komachi help him to both reconnect with his past and to conceptualize his future. During his initial visit, for example, Hiroya tells Komachi that his “uncle had a manga café” and that he “used to hang out there” and draw when he was in elementary and grade school (195). Recollecting this era of Hiroya’s life helps him to remember his childhood passion for drawing and thus to reignite his youthful dreams. The same is true of his visit to the school reunion, where he rekindles his friendship with Seitaro and thus is reminded of the person he once was. In time, this latter connection inspires Hiroya to pursue his artistic dreams once more. Seitaro’s refusal to give up on his writing aspirations despite the disappointments he’s experienced, encourages Hiroya to do the same. Meanwhile, Komachi’s and Nozomi’s encouragement of Hiroya’s artwork similarly fosters Hiroya’s newfound creative energy. Over time, this network of connections makes Hiroya realize that even if he can “draw one picture that leaves a mark in somebody’s life and is remembered” then his life will have meaning (231). His friendships help Hiroya to believe in himself, and constantly remind him that he can contribute to a society of like-minded individuals. Indeed, his concurrent integration into and participation in the community center grants him a sense of purpose. The job connects him with the wider community, while fueling his artistic endeavors and thus reinforcing his self-worth.
