First published 1991
A rare, ancient Haggadah—the Jewish text recited at Passover—surfaces in war-torn Sarajevo, igniting a race to uncover its hidden history. Tracing the book's extraordinary journey from 15th-century Spain to modern-day Australia, a rare-book expert must confront her own family's painful past to piece together the Haggadah's remarkable survival. As the mystery deepens, the book's custodians face a choice: safeguard the relic or sacrifice it to protect their community. A spellbinding tale of faith, identity, and the power of the written word to transcend the darkest of times.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, war, mystery
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Australia
Period: 15th-century, 20th-century
372 pages · Paperback · Harper Perennial
Content warnings: war