After Hours at Dooryard Books

1968 New York City

News about the war might be keeping Patrick up at night—news in general might be keeping Patrick up at night—but he's doing fine. He's sure of it. He gets to spend his days selling books in the gayest neighborhood on the East Coast and his nights merrily sleeping his way through the rare book community. But when he takes in a drifter who seems to be hiding something, and his best friend and her newborn move into the apartment upstairs, his life gets turned on its head.

A sleepy little bookstore should be the perfect place for Nathaniel to lie low, waiting for his past to catch up with him, but it turns out Dooryard Books is full of political radicals and anti–war agitators. If the FBI isn't actively surveilling this place, it will be. Nathaniel should go anywhere else. The last thing he expects is to like these subversives. There's a grieving folk musician and her baby—a demon of a child who will only sleep if Nathaniel, of all people, holds her. There's a pair of rabble–rousing teenagers who, upsettingly, seem to be right about everything. And then there's Patrick, who can't walk past anyone who needs his help—and who is perplexingly determined to help Nathaniel.

As the world balances on the precipice of something new and scary and maybe even hopeful, Patrick needs to decide what he's willing to risk for this chaotic new community he's accidentally created. And Nathaniel needs to figure out whether he has a place in this messy, flawed world—and whether he can believe he deserves it.

©2025 Cat Sebastian

Probably Cat Sebastian never imagined how topical this story would be, it's not in the "past" anymore

Lovely story evoking the 60's Village and the war years. My favorite character is Mrs Kaplan, but each character is unique and fully realized.. I love the debate about goodness.. and how the "other side" is realizing, expressing itself. I've been hoping for an audio version. so great to hear J Leslie. There is an offhand quality to JJ's narration that I initially didn't appreciate, but it does grow on the listener. I'm sure I'll enjoy listening to this story many times..Just like Hither Page.