Battle of the Bookstores

The minimalistic tidiness of Tabula Inscripta, juxtaposed against the chaotic clutter of Happy Endings, symbolizes the hold Josie’s past still has over her present. When she first walks into Happy Endings, she finds the place a disaster of overflowing shelves and books stacked in piles on the floor. The cluttered space reminds her of her childhood apartment, triggering anxiety and claustrophobia. After Georgia’s accident, “the place was a safety hazard: spoiled food in the fridge, trash overflowing, junk everywhere” (75), and it took a week of cleaning and decluttering before Georgia could navigate the place in her wheelchair. The instant transportation of Josie’s memories to the past upon witnessing the chaotic state of Happy Endings shows that she hasn’t overcome the wounds of her past.

Josie’s own store, Tabula Inscripta is, in Ryan’s words, organized “more like a museum than a bookstore” (18). There are no curated tables, no special sections to highlight certain titles, and no face-out covers. There are only spines, all aligned in perfect alphabetical order on the shelves. While Josie exists comfortably in this space, Ryan thinks she looks lonely and that her store is sterile, boring, and lifeless. Though a lot of work has clearly gone into her store, the presentation is too clean to have any personality.