Title: The Book of Records
Author: Madeleine Thien
Pages: 352
Release: May 20, 2025

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At its core, this is a tale of a father and daughter–adrift in the shifting sands of time. As they recount how they arrived at The Sea, a nebulous crossroads where time folds in on itself, they strike up a friendship with three neighbors–notable figures from history–each offering up prudent tales from their own lives.

Thien deftly explores the power of stories and their telling, the transient nature of time and memory, and the permanence of love and connection. Her writing is elegant and measured, with the intimate father-daughter relationship being the most effective and affecting aspect of the novel. The lengthy interspersed stories relayed by the historical figures, while clearly well-researched, bog down the narrative momentum, slowing the pace more than necessary.

The deeper Thien wades into philosophical territory, the harder I found it to keep up, which I see as more of a personal shortcoming than a flaw in the book. She operates at a philosophical frequency beyond my level of understanding, making significant portions frustrating and difficult to parse. While I never quite grasped the full scope of what Thien was trying to convey, I suspect more erudite readers will have better luck.

★★★

My thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.