People of the Book (Geraldine Brooks)

It’s been a while since I read a book that I wanted to stay up at night for and just read, read, read. This is one. The story of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a beautiful and precious Jewish book, unfolds as we follow the traces of the past that the rare book expert Hannah finds in the binding. The historical snapshots are all set at times and places where rich multi-ethnic and multi-religious societies are threatened by a backslash of intolerance and, often, terror against everything that does not fit into the smaller and smaller definition of truth. While I’m normally not so much into historical novels, this one managed to keep me entranced with believable, engaging characters.