People of the Book

“People of the Book” (2008) by Geraldine Brooks is a sweeping historical mystery that follows the “biography” of a single object: the Sarajevo Haggadah, one of the oldest and most beautiful Jewish illuminated manuscripts in existence.

The novel is structured like a forensic investigation. As the protagonist examines the physical book, each tiny artifact she finds—a butterfly wing, a wine stain, a white hair—triggers a flashback to a different century and city.

The Modern Frame: Hanna Heath

The story begins in 1996. Hanna Heath, an Australian book conservator, is called to Sarajevo to restore the Haggadah after it was saved from the shelling of the Bosnian War.

• The Mystery: Why would a Muslim librarian risk his life to save a Jewish book?

• The Clues: As Hanna works, she discovers microscopic traces that hint at the book’s perilous journey across Europe.

The Journey Backwards

The novel moves in reverse chronological order, telling the stories of the people who protected the book through history:

• 1940s Sarajevo: A Muslim librarian hides the book from the Nazis in a remote mountain mosque.

• 1890s Vienna: A Jewish doctor struggles with syphilis and the rising tide of anti-Semitism while rebinding the book.

• 1600s Venice: A priest working for the Inquisition chooses to save the book from a bonfire because he is moved by its beauty.

• 1400s Spain: During the Inquisition, the book’s illuminator (a woman of African descent) creates the stunning images while facing displacement.

Key Themes: Preservation and Shared Humanity

• Interfaith Protection: The book’s central “miracle” is that it has survived for 500 years because people of different faiths—Jews, Muslims, and Christians—collaborated to protect it from extremists.

• The Value of the Object: Brooks explores how a physical object can carry the “ghosts” of everyone who has ever touched it.

• Conservation vs. History: Hanna must decide if her job is just to fix the book or to uncover the human stories hidden in its fibers.

Why It’s a 2026 Choice for Book Clubs

In 2026, the novel remains highly relevant for its portrayal of cultural heritage during wartime.

• The “Lush” Prose: Brooks, a former war correspondent, writes with a journalistic eye for detail and a novelist’s heart.

• Historical Accuracy: While the characters are fictional, the Sarajevo Haggadah is real. It is currently held at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina and remains a symbol of Sarajevo’s multi-ethnic history.