The Geographer’s Library by Jon Fasman, a recent read for my book
club, got off to a slow start, but it gradually gathered some substance and proved
to be an interesting and entertaining read.
Paul Tomm, a recent
graduate of Wickenden College in Connecticut, has returned to the town of his
alma mater to take a job at a local newspaper.
He writes a few pieces about local events, and then his editor assigns
him to write an obituary for a former professor. Paul discovers few people know anything about
Professor Jaan Pühapäev – not even his age or date of birth. Then the coroner who examined the body dies
after a hit and run accident. Paul is a
rather naïve young man, who seems to lack some pretty basic knowledge for a
college grad. For example, he does not
know the meaning of the word “caduceus.”
The lure of interest in the story by an editor at a large Boston daily paper
drives Paul to dig into the case.
This novel is a
really quick read. It also has an interesting
structure. At the root of the murders is
a collection of mysterious alchemical items – stolen from the library of a
prominent philosopher, geographer, and alchemist in the 12th century. Persons unknown are collecting the items,
which have been scattered around the world.
Interspersed between the chapters Fasman has inserted line drawings and
catalogue descriptions of the items. For
example, Fasman writes, “Item 1: An alembic is the top part of an apparatus
used for distilling. This one is made of
sturdy green glass, 36 centimeters tall, 18 centimeters around at the widest
point of the base. The top part of the
vessel is narrow and fluted, and turns sharply to the right; alembics are set
over a still to collect and carry vapors to another vessel” (18). This information is followed by date and name
of manufacturer, place of origin, last known owner, and estimated value
(18-19). Each of these items figures in
the story of the murders and the shadow characters trying to sell or acquire
these items.
Fasman also has a
nice eye for description and details. He
describes a train ride for one item sought after in Siberia by some corrupt Soviet
officials. Fasman writes, “As soon as
the train’s chuffing settled into a regular rhythm, Yuri fell into a boozy and
heavy-headed sleep. When he awoke, the
familiar chaotic Moscow vista – squat brick factories either half built or half
ruined, birch trees stationed haphazardly in front of massive apartment blocks,
wires and streets radiating outward from the tracks into the city’s heart – had
given way to endless pine forests punctuated once in a rare while by villages
consisting of little more than a few dirt roads and twelve to fifteen tiny
dachas, aglow from the inside, nestled close together like gossiping smokers in
a tavern” (70). He also has some rather clever sentences. For example, “mountains poking through the
snow like crumpled birds spanned the other bank, stretching and rising all the
way to the Tien Shan Mountains in the distance” (75).
For mystery fans,
the connection among these characters and items is not easily apparent. My hope is that a sequel is in the works to
tie up many of the loose ends. 3 stars
--Chiron, 9/21/14
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