If exams, papers and projects are consuming all of your time during this midterm season, and a trip to one of Boston’s many bookstores is not feasible, then I have great news for you. There is still a way to have this author’s recommended dose of bookstore browsing at a lovely shop right here in Tufts’ backyard.
Located down the road from Gong Cha in Davis Square is Narrative, a bookstore with a mission to uplift marginalized voices and provide a gathering space for the community.
The store features forest green walls and a small but cozy seating area with a plush, yellow couch that swallows an entire corner. The limited shelf space is carefully curated with a range of genres mixed together and organized by author. Puzzles and local artisan-crafted goods replace books on select shelves. In the back corner is a used book section featuring a much broader collection of books sold at a discount.
Books surround the space without the claustrophobic sense that many bookstores evoke. These books — fiction and nonfiction — span age groups and are from authors with a range of racial, cultural, gender, sexual and class identities. Lacking the typical genre organization, it becomes much easier to pick up a book outside your comfort zone.
Walking in, I was immediately greeted by the sounds of Mila Hossain, the owner and only staff member, deep in a conversation with a customer over which fantasy book would be a perfect gift. After much deliberation, the customer took Hossain’s recommendation and left content. The bookseller then welcomed a new customer and dove into conversation with them, creating an atmosphere of easy banter as I explored.
The store is quaint, and conversations flow from group to group as sound travels easily through the room. Customers entered discussions with groups of strangers with a polite, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but…”
Drawn into a conversation, I chatted with Hossain about publishing scandals (there are more than you’d expect) and her plans for the space. With plenty of monthly events, including craft nights and open mics, Narrative is fulfilling its goals of community gathering. Hossain is quite passionate about her bookstore and loves getting to know her customers, which gives her plenty to talk about.
Narrative is a store for when you are unsure what you want, thanks to its curated collection. You may not find the recent bestsellers, but you will find unexpected gems. Narrative, in total honesty to you, is a store I frequent whenever I have some extra time in Davis. I enjoy browsing its collection and seeing books that I adore and others that are new to me. As someone who has spent years searching for books that contained characters that looked like me — something like the book I bought — Hossain’s mission hits close to home.
I left with a copy of T Kira Madden’s “Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls,” a memoir that I plan on digging into when I am free from the grips of midterms.
