The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien: a sobering meditation on the human condition

By Manjeet Ridon, Associate Dean International, Faculty of Arts, Design & Humanities, De Montfort University

The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien intricately blends historical and speculative fiction to tackle contemporary global issues. It explores migration, the refugee crisis, identity politics and cultural conflict.

At the heart of the novel is Lina, a young girl who escapes her homeland with her ill father. She finds herself in a mysterious, shape-shifting place known only as “the Sea”. This ambiguous setting, likened to a temporary shelter or refugee camp, serves as a metaphor for statelessness, displacement and a loss of identity. The Sea’s geography is deliberately unclear – as…

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