Bibliotek Nöbbelöv, by Josephine Puebla Smith

View of the World from the 7th floor: the rooftops of Gunnesbo, parks, country roads running across wheatfields flanked by orderly rows of trees and beyond, the strait of Öresund. On clear days Copenhagen can be glimpsed: a thin & irregular black line that separates navy blue from sky blue. Depending on the angle, she can look at —or look down on— the nuclear power plant in Bärsebäck. Due to her poor sense of direction, she imagines that right behind Denmark, on the other side of the Atlantic, is Mexico. A comforting thought to cure homesickness. 

What she can’t see from the window when she’s sitting at her desk is what’s underneath. Nearby, across the pedestrian street that runs alongside the building is the local public library. 

It’s summer. There’s nothing to do. There’s no one. Everyone has left for vacation except her. She’s fourteen. She should be with her friends, exploring the world. The only thing on television is the test card accompanied by a shrill beep. She calls her mom’s office. She whines. Her mom asks why she doesn’t go down to the library. 

She gets out, crosses the street, then the courtyard, opens the entrance door and gets in. A welcoming silence reigns. Row after row of shelves full of books. In the center, a wooden cabinet with small drawers filled with cards. The library’s complete alphabetical catalog. A card for each book. 

One of the librarians approaches to offer help. Shortly after, she’s at the youth literature section, between the comics and the shelves with magazines and newspapers. There are sofas and armchairs to sink into while reading. There are also vinyl records and headphones for listening to there.  

In the summertime, because of the holidays, it is permitted to take up to twenty books on loan for six weeks. She obtains the card for the city library network. Now, she can not only take home all the books she wants, but she has also taken part in a fellowship. 

On that day, she chooses nineteen youth novels—all of them romantic—and a stargazing guide. The summer is settled and she won’t get lost anymore while watching the stars. She walks to the counter. The librarian opens one book and takes out a card from the inside cover. She soaks the date stamp in the ink pad. Chick-chick! She does this twenty times. After that she rubs each of the books on the device that deactivates the alarm. She places them on her right hand. She smiles. That’s it. 

She walks back home. She takes the books out of the paper grocery bag, one after another, and looks through them again. She builds a tower with them. During six weeks, she has a library of her own. 

She reads the first novel, a Danish one from 1978 called “Do You Want to See My Navel?” She is overcome by perplexity. Is this considered a love story? Please! The following novels aren’t much better. Thank goodness she also borrowed the complete guide to stargazing. The stars can also be seen from her window on the 7th floor.