BOOK REVIEWS Courtesy of Beaverdale Books
‘People of the Book’
By Geraldine Brooks
Penguin USA
Pub Date: 12/30/08
$15
372 pp
“People of the Book” is just plain good. When this novel was released in hardcover, my bookstore coworkers realized that those whose specialties ran from fiction to mystery to history all equally loved this book.
The novel is based upon the real-life uncovering of the Sarajevo Haggada. A Haggada is a book describing the Israelite exodus from Egypt, and during Passover it is used as a guide during the symbolic Seder meal.
“People of the Book” begins as Hanna Heath, rare-book expert and conservator, is called in from Australia to examine the newly uncovered Haggada in war-torn Sarajevo under heavy security. She takes samples of items she finds in the book, such as a wine stain, a white hair and an insect wing. As she examines them, the story plummets into history to the time when these items first made their way into the book: Spain during the Inquisition, Venice in the early 17th century and Bosnia during WWII.
The poignant narratives of those who created, used and protected the Haggadah are interspersed with Hanna’s own story of loss, separation and reconciliation. The book is a warm and loving work of art that chronicles the history of the Jewish people and promotes the hope of future generations. CV — Review by Laura Flaugher
