“Exchange” is a short story by Ray Bradbury that appeared in his 1996 collection Quicker Than the Eye. It’s a nostalgic story about a man who returns to his hometown, boyhood library after many years away. He’s feeling lonely and unsettled by all the changes and seeks to reconnect with the librarian and pass a little time with the books. Here’s a summary of “Exchange”.
“Exchange” Summary
Miss Adams flicks the lights and informs the patrons the library is closing. They all file out. She finishes the closing-time duties and rests her eyes at the front desk. There’s a knocking at the glass door by a man in a Captain’s uniform. He wants to come in. Miss Adams remembers him from many years ago and relents.
He picks up a book and breathes it in. He’s only in town for a few hours. Things have changed and no one came to meet him at the station. The people have changed. Miss Adams is still here, though, and they share a moment with this thought.
The man takes out a picture of himself at twelve. Miss Adams remembers him now—William Spaulding, a troublesome boy but she loved him. They’ll have to get reacquainted to know if she still feels that way. She gets him coffee and brings him his old library file, which he’s surprised she still has.
He took out a lot of books. They reminisce about when he graduated to the adult section and how she would grab his chin to reprimand him. As a boy, William viewed Miss Adams as Mrs. God, someone who could show him any part of the world he wanted. She’s affected by this thought. They continue touring the library’s rooms together.
Captain Spaulding is afraid. He might not ever come back and he hasn’t seen his friends. They’re all gone. Miss Adams takes him to a brightly lit room. She tells him he’s home and his friends are here.
She has him sit at a small table and wants to show him something. She turns on a green lamp, because there should be shadows in a library, so the beasts can come out at night and turn the pages with their breath. She leaves a while.
Miss Adams returns with books William read when he was ten—The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass, Tarzan of the Apes and myths from all over the world. He wonders how she remembers this. She explains he hardly left the library all summer.
They remember the bullies from when he was a boy, the ones who never read. He wasn’t lonely, though. He had lots of company on the pages. Miss Adams lays down more books he read. She let him borrow a Poe collection permanently unless someone asked for it. He still has it in California.
Miss Adams brings other books one at a time and fans them out on the table. William says the titles and authors and the name of someone he remembers reading it long ago. He remembers a girl from sixth grade, another who passed him notes, another who drowned in the lake, and a boy who wrote the same Mark Twain book report in four different grades, and others.
Miss Adams withdraws a while. William opens each book, one by one, and reads a little. He sits back, his eyes wet. He agrees she’s right—everyone is still here. She plans on keeping it like that. They hear a train whistle. The next one will be William’s.
William wants the books left out until morning. Maybe the creatures and his friends will come out to turn the pages. William stands there, unable to move. Miss Adams goes to the desk and announces to the children that it’s closing time. She flicks the lights and then leaves them dimmed.
William is ready to go now. They walk together to the door, with Miss Adams turning off each set of lights as they go. She helps him with his coat. William spontaneously takes her hand and kisses it. It reminds her of an Edith Wharton quip—the flavor starts at the elbow—and they laugh. He tells her to remember what he called her when he was twelve.
A train whistle blows again and William leaves. Miss Adams tries to remember what it was he called her. It comes to her mind and she turns off the last light.
I hope this summary of “Exchange” by Ray Bradbury was helpful.
