BFH9 Madeleine Thien

Madeleine Thien's latest novel The Book of Records questions how collective political moments can determine an individual's future. 

About The Book of Records
Lina and her ailing father flee their home and take refuge in the Sea, a mysterious building for migrating people. While waiting for family, Lina befriends her unusual neighbours Bento, Blucher and Jupiter - who resemble the radical 17th-century Dutch scholar Baruch Spinoza, the philosopher Hannah Arendt and the Chinese poet Du Fu. The stories of the voyagers fuse with those of her new friends and through them Lina comes to understand the role of fate in history, how ideas can shape the world, and the transitory nature of humanity. 

Madeleine Thien's novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing (2016) was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Women’s Prize, and won the Governor General's Award, among other honours. She is also the author of the story collection Simple Recipes (2001) and the novels Certainty (2006) and Dogs at the Perimeter (2012). Her books and stories have been translated into 25 languages. She lives in Montreal, Canada.