People of the book came highly recommended from a number of reviews. As with Geraldine Brooks’ other book that I’ve read, March, I liked lots of things about People of the book. The story starts in Sarajevo in 1996 where a book conserver is at work on a precious Jewish holy book that was wonderfully saved from destruction by a dedicated librarian.* Different chapters are then interspersed that tell the story of the book backwards to its creation in the 14th century. The set up was a very clever way to explore snippets of history, especially as these sections seemed like the product of loving research.

Sadly the historical chapters often demonstrated the way apparently stable societies can be split apart by racial hatred. As I read I got depressed remembering just how recent so many of the atrocities in Europe alone have occurred. But I also think remembering these events is very important.

Despite enjoying People of the book , as a whole it was still slightly disappointing (which was also the case with March). I felt a little disconnected between the different sections and the ending was a bit dramatic for my tastes. And sometimes the Australianess of the main character was a bit over the top. The pattern of the language felt Australian enough to me that I don’t think all the additional slang words were necessary.

I don’t know if it’s because I would expect to adore a book with a plot like this, and getting closer to being a perfectly satisfying book is more frustrating than simply not being my thing at all. Happily, most people seem to enjoy it so I don’t need to feel bad!

*This book and some of its story was based on the real-life Sarajevo Haggadah. Very cool.

Tags: books, historical, march