Day 13 - Fiction Book

Right now I'm reading a historical fiction novel called People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.

The book was recommended to me by a coworker who read it for a book club and now considers it one of her favorites. Thanks Ann!

The premise of the story seems a bit boring at first, but I was surprised when I had trouble putting it down! The story is about a woman who is a rare-book expert. She is offered a job to go to Sarajevo and restore a Haggadah (traditional Jewish literature) that survived the Bosnian War. The Sarajevo Haggadah is an actual artifact but this is a piece of fiction written around it (the author, Brooks, has done extensive research on it). As she is working with the book and documenting it, she notices several things about it that help her trace the history of it (an insect wing, a wine stain, etc.). Using her many connections she begins to piece together where the book has been and give it more of a context.

The book alternates between present-day with the main character, Hanna, researching the book's history (and there is a separate plot about her personal life) then a chapter from the book's history (how it made its way to Sarajevo, etc. - without giving away to much). So, the history of the book is revealed backwards until we learn of its origins.

There is a lot of history mashed into this book, which I always enjoy.

The way the author is able to write from so many different perspectives is incredible and the transitions are seamless (from an Australian woman in 1996 to a rabbi in the 1700s). I am just about done with it and have really enjoyed this unique story. I definitely recommend!