Author: Olga Tokarczuk
Translator: Jennifer Croft
Publisher: Fitzcarraldo Editions
Paperback
Staff Pick! So Says…
Or possibly the book of the millennium! If you’re feeling a bit it’s-the-end-of-the-world and/or want to know more about Ukrainian borders and/or love a mind-bending historical novel with an angel’s eye view, or just looking for a book that will keep you going through the whole holiday season, look no further. Tokarczuk doesn’t just write this history, she lives it, with pitch-perfect epistolary chapters, rip-roaring adventures, and deep dives into characters’ lives that mingle psychological realism with metaphysical acuity. In short, this book has a bit of everything, including the reason that God is like an oyster. The Books of Jacob is a magnum opus by a Nobel winner, and an incredibly absorbing read that does politics, belief, history, and sex, in an unstoppable flow.