The company of books

When I really wanted company I read a book, and I was thankful for the little public library.

Sharyn McCrumb, Prayers the Devil Answers

The narrator in Sharyn McCrumb's novel is an introvert, a woman with no friends who feels uncomfortable whenever she's in a situation where small talk is required. Books, she tells herself, are all the company she needs. I know the feeling.

Peter Dinklage and Bobby Cannavale in The Station Agent.

I am reminded of a wonderful independent film called The Station Agent in which a dwarf named Finbar (played by Peter Dinklage) inherits an abandoned railroad station. A train enthusiast, he views this as a perfect place to sit and watch the occasional train go by while reading books about trains. He, too, is an introvert.

Trouble comes in the form of Joe (Bobby Cannavale), who is operating a nearby food truck for his ailing father. Joe is an extreme extrovert who constantly needs other people to talk with, but except for the occasional customer, Fin is the only one around. And Fin prefers the company of his books.

As an introvert, I love how the movie portrays the introvert as the strong one and the extrovert as the needy one. By the way, the town where this story takes place has a "little public library," like the one McCrumb mentions, where Fin meets a young librarian (Michelle Williams) with a problem. Once again, he gets to be the strong one.

In real life this is not always true, but I've found it to be true more often than you might think.