The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Aoyama, Michiko. What You Are Looking For Is in the Library. Doubleday, 2023.

Michiko Aoyama's novel What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is written from the first person point of view of the five main characters: Tomoka, Ryo, Natsumi, Hiroya, and Masao. Each chapter of the novel features one these character's respective accounts. The novel primarily employs the present tense and is entirely set in Tokyo, Japan. The following summary abides by similar formal patterns for the sake of clarity.

In Chapter 1, 21-year-old Tomoka feels lonely, discouraged, and immobilized. After finishing college, she started working at a general merchandise store called Eden. Although the job has allowed her to live in Tokyo like she has always dreamed, she fears there is no future with the company. Worse yet, she does not know how to extract herself from this vocational sphere. Tomoka also lives by herself and has few friends or acquaintances outside of Eden.

One day, Tomoka's coworker Kiriyama suggests that Tomoka check out the local Hatori Community House. When Tomoka discovers that the center hosts classes, she signs up for a computer course. After class one day, Tomoka wanders into the library where she meets the librarian Sayuri. Sayuri not only listens to Tomoka's story, but gives her book recommendations that change her outlook on her life.

In Chapter 2, 35-year-old Ryo has always dreamed of opening up his own antique shop. In the narrative present, however, he is still working as an accountant for a furniture manufacturer. Although he is desperate to quit the job, he feels incapable of doing so before he has enough money saved to pursue his own business venture.

Then one day, Ryo finds himself at the Hatori Community House for a lecture with his girlfriend Hina. Ryo wanders into the center's library and meets the librarian Sayuri. Sayuri gives Ryo some books and suggests that he think about his dream differently. After starting one of Sayuri's most curious book recommendations, Ryo decides to visit another local shop, Cats Now Books. His conversation with the owner helps him think about his own dreams and future anew. He and Hina decide to get married and open the antique shop as soon as possible.

In Chapter 3, 40-year-old Natsumi feels trapped between her vocational and domestic spheres. Although she thought that she could be a mother and continue pursuing her dreams in the editorial world, ever since her two-year-old daughter Futaba's birth, she has felt dissatisfied, overwhelmed, and dislocated. She has been demoted at work and feels her past efforts with the publishing company were for naught. She is distracted and tired at home, tired of shouldering all of the parenting weight on her own.

After meeting and chatting with the Hatori Community House librarian, Natsumi starts to read an astrology book that changes her perspective. She realizes that her two realms might not be as irreconcilable as she thought. She pursues a new job with a new publishing company and learns to ask her husband for help and support.

In Chapter 4, 30-year-old Hiroya feels depressed by his inability to achieve his artistic goals. Although he went to design school, he has been unable to find a job in his field. He lives at home with his mother. He is unemployed and has no friends. He has plenty of time, but no inspiration to draw.

When he ends up at the Hatori Community House on an errand for his mother one day, he finds himself in the center's library. He talks to Sayuri about his frustrations. She gives him book recommendations that change how he has been thinking about his life. He returns to drawing for the first time in years, gets a job at the Community House, and learns to be patient with himself.

In Chapter 5, 65-year-old Masao retires from his job after 42 years with the company. Although he thought he was ready to be done with work, ever since leaving the company, he has felt invisible and purposeless. Then one day, his wife suggests he take a class at the Hatori Community Center. He does not like the course, but it inspires him to check out the center's library. There he meets Sayuri, the librarian with whom he connects easily. Sayuri is not only kind and gracious, she recommends books to Masao that surprise and challenge him.

Over the course of the following weeks, Masao not only discovers an appreciation for poetry, but rekindles his relationships with his wife and daughter. He makes new friends and changes his outlook on his life. Instead of despairing, he decides to invest in the people around him and to express gratitude for every day.