The Book of Records

PRE-ORDER FOR MAY 20, 2025

Book of Records by Madeleine Thien

A Most Anticipated Book of 2025 — Literary Hub, Esquire, and The Washington Post
An epic, time-bending novel that explores history, memory, and the eternal search for meaning and belonging.

From Booker Prize finalist Madeleine Thien, acclaimed author of Do Not Say We Have Nothing, comes Book of Records—a breathtaking, genre-defying novel that transcends time and space to examine the echoes of political revolution, personal guilt, and intellectual freedom across centuries.

Lina and her father arrive at The Sea, a mystical enclave that serves as a liminal space between migrations—a building where pasts and futures converge. There, Lina meets Bento, a 17th-century Jewish philosopher from Amsterdam; Blucher, a German intellectual fleeing the Nazis; and Jupiter, a Tang Dynasty poet. Though separated by centuries, their conversations ripple across time, bound by shared questions of belief, justice, and responsibility.

As Lina’s father begins to confess his role in their family’s tragic history, she must confront not only the past, but also the ethical weight of legacy, forgiveness, and the cost of truth. Through art, scholarship, and human connection, Lina reimagines what it means to heal—individually and collectively.

📖 Perfect for readers of Cloud Atlas, Olga Dies Dreaming, and The Overstory
📖 A novel of ideas, exile, philosophical inquiry, and intergenerational reckoning
📖 Blends historical fiction, speculative storytelling, and lyrical prose

Format: Hardcover
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Philosophical Fiction
Themes: Memory & Exile, Political Upheaval, Intellectual Legacy, Intergenerational Trauma
Audience: Fans of intellectually rich fiction and literary world-building with emotional depth and historical resonance

✨ Book of Records is an extraordinary meditation on how we carry our stories, our ancestors, and our ideals through time, and how art and thought can serve as a refuge and compass in the wake of catastrophe.