NEW YORK CITY—One of the attractions of an independent bookstore—an increasingly rare animal in this era of online purchases, social media, and ever more shortened attention spans—is its ability to offer specific services for customers. These include specializing in hard-to-find tomes that don’t rate attention—or bring in volume sales—on wider platforms. This is the starting point for Michael Walek’s quietly engrossing comedy-drama “The Bookstore” presented by New Jersey Repertory Company at 59E59 Theaters.
Spanning an approximate 12-month period in 2017, the play takes place in a small bookstore in New York City that is owned by Carey (Janet Zarish). A denizen of the city since the late 1970s, Carey’s first job was at Random House publishing. After rising through the ranks there, and eventually leaving for personal reasons, she chanced upon a vacant storefront. In a flash of inspiration, she turned it into a bookstore that became a quiet refuge from the outside hustle and bustle.
