Starred review from February 26, 2024
In this lush and intricately researched historical, Schaffert (The Perfume Thief) brings together a varied cast who, despite having tickets for an Atlantic crossing aboard the Titanic, are prevented by circumstance from taking its fateful maiden voyage. The tale is narrated by Yorick, who runs a bookshop in Paris, and whom the White Star Line replaced at the last minute as steward of the second-class library aboard the doomed steamship, having learned he was distributing banned books. At the story’s center is a love triangle consisting of Yorick and two other would-be passengers who all meet when a Paris business owner calls them together as a publicity stunt: Zinnia, the striking mixed-race heir to her parents’ confectionary company; and the handsome Haze, a photographer who specializes in capturing the decay of historic Parisian buildings, and to whom Yorick is immediately drawn, seeing in the Oscar Wilde–like artist a secretly gay man like himself. When Haze enlists Yorick’s help in writing love letters to Zinnia, Yorick is devastated but complies, and they are all bonded by their shared brush with disaster. As Europe marches inexorably toward WWI, alliances shift among the three lovers and jealousies come to a head. The marvelous sensuous details—from the smells and feel of old books to the descriptions of Zinna’s candies and the veritable river of cognac, absinthe, wine, and Dutch gin—make this star-crossed lovers’ tale an absolute delight, and the underlying themes of book banning and suppressed sexuality resonate. Schaffert has outdone himself. Agent: Alice Tasman, Jean V. Naggar Literary.
May 31, 2024
Weeks after the sinking of the Titanic, Yorick, who was supposed to have boarded the ship, keeps seeing his name on the passenger manifesto. Though he was to serve as the apprentice librarian for the ship's second-class passengers, he was left stranded on the day the famous ship set off. Seeing this as fate, he takes the chance to follow his dreams and open a bookshop in Paris. Soon after, he gets a mysterious invitation to connect with other would-be passengers who also missed the voyage. The group decides to discuss their feelings with a book club. Yorick finds himself drawn to two members, photographer Haze and candy heiress Zinnia, with whom he forms a tangled web of love and friendship. Narrator Max Meyers taps into the novel's lush atmosphere, giving distinct voices to each character and bringing this sensually described historical novel to life. VERDICT Spanning from the immediate aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic to the end of World War I, Schaffert's (The Perfume Thief) latest historical novel traces the enduring relationship between a trio of friends and lovers, brought together under the most unusual circumstances. Pair with Annie Lyons's The Air Raid Book Club or Madeline Martin's The Last Bookshop in London.--Elyssa Everling
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