A Book Review: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

Do you read used books? Used books astonish me because every mark on it; from a finger print, a pencil line, a blood stain, a coffee stain, a library loan number, or a creased spine, represents a person. A person whose life's story, when told in full, can easily be a book by itself. An used book, then, is a symbolic juncture, with a main story connecting the stories of all its readers. We may never know or meet a book's previous reader(s), but when we see a mark on an used book, it represents the story of another human being, and our stories are all connected through a withered and creased book in our hand.

Don't you think this is a fascinating realization?

Geraldine Brooks, a winner of Pulitzer Price for fiction, explored this realization in her historical fiction novel, People of the Book. This novel tells a story about a very old book, and the stories of the people who have interacted with this book in the past. People of the Book is based on a very interesting concept, but is it any good?

Synopsis:

Priceless and beautiful, the famous Sarajevo Haggadah, an ancient Jewish volume with illuminated images, was recovered during the Bosnian War in 1996. After this ancient tome resurfaced, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, was offered her dream job – to conserve and analyze this wondrous cultural artifact.

Hanna, both dedicated and passionate about her work, discovered tiny details in Sarajevo Haggadah, and she began to unveil the book's mysteries. These mysteries take readers on a journey all the way back to Haggadah's moment of creation.

My thoughts on this book:

Partially fact, and partially fiction, People of the Book is a historical fiction novel. Some readers have compared this novel to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, but I personally think People of the Book is NOTHING like The Da Vinci Code. To begin with, People of the Book is not a fast-paced thriller. Instead, at the core of this book lies a romance story, and a journey to uncover past histories. This also means, if you are looking to read a fast-paced, treasure hunt/conspiracy thriller, then look elsewhere, People of the Book is not for you.

Geraldine Brooks, being an award-winning author, displayed her masterful skill as a wordsmith; People of the Book is very well written. Brooks wrapped every scene in this book with atmospheric, vivid depictions. Just as you think People of the Book can't get any better, this novel further impresses a reader with a story that is based on a fascinating theme: That a book's story is connected with the stories of all its past readers. Suffice it to say, this novel changed the way I look at an old, battered book sitting in a second hand book store or in a library. I really like the idea behind this book and it offers endless intrigues.

So many praises! Does this mean I love this novel? Unfortunately, while I appreciate People of the Book's good writings and a fascinating theme, but this novel just didn't click with me.

Why? The book's pace moves too slowly for my taste, and it detracted my inclination towards this novel. I think the book's slow-pacing is mostly due to its structure and storytelling. Let me explain; People of the Book is divided into multiple sections. On the one hand, the book has Hanna Heath playing the role of the protagonist, and her story for analyzing the Haggadah constitutes towards the main plot, it is divided into sections and running in the background. Meanwhile, the novel also told stories of Haggadah's past readers, and these sub-stories were inserted in between the sections of the main story. The result? This type of intertwined storytelling stalled the flow of the book, and it felt very disruptive. i.e. the sub-stories did not blend well into the main plot, and it had a tremendous impact on the pace of the book. Admittedly, half way into the book, I began to glance over sentences and words because the pace was so slow and I was loosing interest rapidly.

Perhaps I came to People of the Book with the wrong expectations. After all, when it comes to novels based on the real world, such as thrillers or historical fictions, I do prefer action, fast-paced stories over drama and romance, which are often more tranquil in pace. This means, People of the Book probably just isn't my type of book. Despite my disfavor for this book, however, I was very impressed by Brook's excellent command in English, and the story's concept is fascinating.

My review then, begs a question – will I recommend this book? Let me put it this way. If you are looking to read a fast-paced thriller, then it is better to look elsewhere, at authors such as Steve Berry, James Rollins, Dan Brown, or Lee Child. However, if you enjoy reading a book about history, romance, and drama, then you might unlock a hidden gem in People of the Book.