Geraldine Brooks’s The
People of the Book tells the story of a medieval haggadah, a Jewish prayer
book, that is unique in its beautiful illuminations. Brooks writes, “But no one
knew why this haggadah was illustrated with numerous miniature paintings, at a
time when most Jews considered figurative art a violation of the commandments”
(19). The very fact of the book provides the first mystery--why was the haggadah illustrated?--and points to the
interactions among religious groups that characterize the history of the haggadah.
Australian Hanna Heath travels to Sarajevo to do the
preservation work that will allow the book to be handled and studied. In the
process, Hanna inspects the book, noting the details that indicate its history:
a Latin inscription, the binding, a butterfly wing. All the details of the book
tell the story of its creation and its journey through history. Hanna’s story
frames the narrative, and her connection with the book also unearths secrets in
her past, and then other sections delve into the book’s history. In the end,
the reader knows more than Hanna does about the book because the reader gets to
put the historical pieces together. This multi-layered story is a gem.
Works Cited
Brooks, Geraldine. The
People of the Book. New York: Penguin, 2008. Print.
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