'People of the Book'
By Geraldine Brooks, 372 pages, $25.95
The next time you hold something old — an antique, a heirloom, an artifact — imagine the stories it could tell if it talked.
Someone bought that item new, or made it for a loved one. Maybe it was carried across continents or states, tucked in a backpack or spirited beneath petticoats. No matter where the thing came from, it takes some serious sleuthing to find out the story behind it.
Hannah Heath is a detective of sorts, specializing in antique books. In "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks, an old manuscript tells Heath a story, and it's not just the one printed on the pages.
It was the first illustrated manuscript discovered, and it rocked the antiquities world when it was found. Because Jewish belief forbade lush drawings in prayer books, the so-called Sarajevo Haggadah, created in medieval Spain with vivid colors and detailed drawings, was rare and precious beyond description. It was the jewel of Bosnia, recently saved from the ravages of war.
The United Nations asked Heath, a rare book expert, to examine the ancient tome and ensure that it deteriorates no further. Aware that politics are at the heart of this career-making assignment, Heath questions why she was chosen. Surely her former mentor, Werner Heinrich, would have wanted to hold the Haggadah in his hands. Amitai Yomtov, one of the most brilliant men in the field, would have leaped at the chance to examine it as well.
But the United Nations wants Heath, so she carefully unwraps the Haggadah and finds a mystery. A small fragment of insect wing is imbedded in the book's folds. There's a trace of salt. A stain (wine?) mars a page corner. Holes were made for clasps, but clasps are missing. And curiously, an ebony-skinned woman is depicted in the illustrations, which defies what's known about culture at the time the book was made.
Meant for seder, the Haggadah holds more than prayers. If the book could talk, it would tell stories of war and persecution, sickness, bravery and love. With her own personal problems distracting her, will Heath listen?
"People of the Book" starts out slow; so slow, that I wasn't sure I could make it through almost 400 pages. There's a lot of setup to make the story work, and not much happens for the first couple segments. In the end, I was glad I stuck it out.
With time-framing reminiscent of "Pulp Fiction," some factual history, the existence of a real book and a fictional character who is increasingly easy to like, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Brooks takes you on a five-century trip from Bosnia to Venice, Vienna to Spain, and inside mosques, churches and torture chambers.
If you like historical mysteries, antique-hunting or "The DaVinci Code," pick up "People of the Book." This book about a book is a double delight for anyone who craves the written word.
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Terri Schlichenmeyer reviews books weekly for Sunday North.
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