People of the Book

As meticulously researched as all of Brooks’ previous work, People of the Book is a gripping and moving novel about war, art, love and survival.

When Hanna Heath gets a call in the middle of the night in her Sydney home about a precious medieval manuscript that has been recovered from the smouldering ruins of war-torn Sarajevo, she knows she is on the brink of the experience of a lifetime. A renowned book conservator, she must now make her way to Bosnia to start work on restoring the Sarajevo Haggadah – one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images – to discover its secrets and piece together the story of its miraculous survival over five centuries of history. But the trip will also set in motion a series of events that threaten to rock Hanna’s orderly life, including her encounter with Ozren Karamen, the young librarian who risked his life to save the book.

Shortlisted for the 2009 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards. Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year 2008.