I enjoy Thien's work, so I was excited to have the opportunity to read this novel. She did not disappoint. Although it is written in a style that may not appeal to every reader with its twists and turns of worlds and reality, I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't find it confusing at all. I was intrigued by the varying characters that were introduced, and the discussions that ensued. The mystery surrounding Lina's father always piqued my interest, as well. I am not a great fan of speculative fiction, but I am interested in physical conundrums, quantum theory, and philosophy. I felt Thien presented this futuristic, looking-glass world in a clever way , and I highly recommend it to readers both of speculative fiction and those pondering the deeper questions of humanity and responsibility.

Many thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to review an ARC this book.

Madeline Thien’s writing is intense and complex, but also contemplative and reflective. The central character is Lina, a child when the story begins. In an indeterminate time, a catastrophic event seemingly caused by industrial ‘progress’ and human greed has flooded much of the world, forcing the relocation of entire populations for long periods and often more than once. The unrelenting migration forces apart families, and Lina and her father are separated from her mother, aunt and younger brother.

Thien sketches in some contextual details but there is a vagueness and ethereality about the setting that captures the unmooring of global society. Ships, shores, rising waters, seas that are both threatening and life-giving, devastating droughts, water-born plagues, are fundamental to the crisscrossing stories in the Book of Records, history itself.

A dedicated reader before the exodus, Lina is permitted to bring only three books with her. Her random selections are three volumes of a standard biographical for schoolchildren. They recount the lives of the philosophers Du Fu, Baruch Spinoza, and Hannah Arendt, each of whom tell their own stories in chapters alternating with Lina’s discussions about the books with her refugee neighbours in a surreal waiting place also called The Sea. Fate, chance, fear and resilience in worlds gone mad are strong elements throughout each story. A stray cat, Brother Orange, is unrooted in time, and the only constant in all the stories that are told, revised, retold, and committed to the Book of Records.

This is a book to be savoured, read slowly and at a pace to allow for thinking through lyrical passages and memorable quotes. Things happen ‘outside of time’ and parallel histories and characters add to the mysticism of the experience. The world that Thien depicts is mythical but also very real in that much of what happens in Lina’s time is actually happening now. As Lina surmises, ‘All we had to do was stand perfectly still and let the past catch up to us.’

And the 2026 Booker Prize goes to…

The Book of Records is one of the most beautiful, daring, and intellectually rich novels I’ve read in a long time. Genre-defying and emotionally layered, it blends a dystopian future shaped by climate catastrophe with the enduring weight of personal and historical displacement.

A young girl and her father flee an unrecognizable China, plagued by torrential rains and a rising ocean that has swallowed parts of the land. They find refuge in a place called The Sea. In the rush to leave, the father grabs three books — about Hannah Arendt, Spinoza, and Du Fu — which become the unlikely anchors of their new life. At The Sea, neighbors begin to retell and reimagine the lives of these thinkers. As the narratives intertwine, we begin to understand not only the scope of global upheaval, but also the more intimate ruptures: a family fractured by betrayal, a daughter slowly uncovering the truth of why her mother and brother stayed behind.

This is a novel about displacement, memory, identity, and what it means to endure constant upheaval. Each character — past and present — is shaped by exile. And through them, the book asks: who are we when everything around us is changing, and we have no choice but to change with it?

It’s not an easy read — nor should it be. It’s intellectually demanding, emotionally searing, and best approached with care and attention. But if you meet it where it is, it offers profound insight and rare, luminous beauty.

A book of our times, and quite possibly of our futures — where survival requires compassion, connection, and a willingness to carry one another’s stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the advance copy. And thank you, Madeleine Thien, for this masterpiece.

I really loved the opening of the book. It was the kind that as an Asian reader can relate to that it speaks our stories, and the books selected are all having significant value not only to our ancestors but a whole generation's memory. Well done!

The Book of Records is a beautifully crafted exploration of time, memory, and the enduring power of storytelling. Set in a mysterious enclave called The Sea, the novel follows Lina and her ailing father as they encounter three historical figures—Bento, Blucher, and Jupiter—whose tales intertwine with their own. Through these narratives, Thien delves into profound themes of fate, identity, and the human condition.​

Thien's prose is elegant and evocative, drawing readers into a world where past and present converge. The philosophical underpinnings of the novel are thought-provoking, prompting reflection on the nature of history and the stories we inherit. However, the novel's intricate structure and the depth of its philosophical discourse may be challenging for some readers, potentially hindering the narrative's accessibility.​

While The Book of Records may not achieve the same level of emotional resonance as Thien's previous works, it remains a compelling read for those interested in literary fiction that examines the complexities of time and human experience. The novel's ambition and thematic depth make it a noteworthy addition to Thien's collection.

Book Review The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien

A philosophy lovers dream, this is an intricate exploration of the purpose and meaning of life. Where time is ambiguous and the past, present and future overlap in a haunting and poetic narrative. Thien invites readers into a world where characters drift across timelines, and the present seems timeless.

The story is centred by Lina and her father, who flee Foshan, as great swaths of their homeland are flooding. The arrive at a place known only as “The Sea”, a transitory haven for travellers, before continuing their journey. But for Lina, it becomes a place of limbo, where time marches on but life stands still, as her father refuses to move forward. A small community is formed with the travellers who remain, anchored by The Book of Legends: The Great Lives of Voyagers for comfort, connection and reflection. Through these stories the voices of Baruch Spinoza, Du Fu, and Hannah Arendt are heard, threading the story with questions of identity, history and humanity.

This is a story of displacement - physical, emotional and existential. It grapples with the search for meaning from what has been lost and the fragile hope for the future. It deftly examines centuries of persecution, disenfranchisement and the power structures that shape our world. It amplifies the age old questions: What is a meaningful life? Is it a meaningful existence? Is it our legacy? Is it our impact on the world? Are our paths predestined, or do our choices carve out our futures? How do we survive and live with the guilt and shame of our choices?

Beautifully written, this novel masterfully weaves together complex themes in a cohesive and thought provoking manner. Capturing the lyrical grace and elegance of philosophy and literature, the book remains accessible and encouraging you to pause, reflect and absorb it.

I loved the depth, beauty intricacy of this novel and the power of the story telling. I will admit to getting a little lost with some of the science and mathematical themes, but this did not detract from my enjoyment. It is a thought provoking and mesmerizing work that will remain with me for a long time. If you loved her previous novel, Do Not Say We Have Nothing you will definitely love this as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the early copy of this book and the opportunity to provide honest feedback.

An Italian philosopher, a failed Chinese poet, and a Jewish refugee walk into an atrium...

It's not the start of a joke. It's the 3 neighbours whose stories accompany our narrator, young Lina, as she grows from child to adolescent in a labyrinthine refugee station that seems unmoored in time as well as in situation. It's on a sea coast, but which sea? Everyone who looks out a window sees their own, lost waterway. The narrative unfurls sometime after climate change triggers a sea level rise that renders vast stretches of coastline uninhabitable, and backward too, in the time of the miserable poet Du Fu,, and also forward by centuries to the time of Spinoza, and in another leap forward to Hannah Arendt fleeing the Nazis. And as Lina herself becomes an adult looking back across the decades at those formative influences.

At first the refugee station, called The Sea, seems a real space, grounded in sandy earth and rocks, where boatloads of refugees arrive to rest and recover for a few nights, a few weeks, before going on. It might be an old caravanserai or the crumbling walls of an ancient city, its passages and stairways barely wide enough for two donkeys abreast. Sometimes it's crowded and other times feels deserted. The action is mostly in Lina's head, in her observance of this solid yet shifting world. It is also a limbo, a bardo of sorts, where it seems not odd to Lina that she should be cracking almonds and discussing voyages with long-dead historical figures.

The titular Book of Records is both an artifact of the unmoored life of refugees, filled with snatches of remembered family history, poems, parts of stories that may or may not be either accurate or true, and a description of the book being read by Lina: scraps of her maturing years, whether accurately recalled or not. It can be quite absorbing if you're in the mood for some lengthy debates about philosophy or oblique references to cherishing a male-male friendship based on nothing more solid than a shared tentative thought that's outside the community's norms.

Did I enjoy it? The writing was lovely, drawing me along. The intriguing opening and the mystery of Lina's arrival at The Sea kept me turning pages. The various historical figures initially came to life in gently curious ways. But those personages' stories came to life unevenly, some filled with detail and rich imaginings, others a mere charcoal sketch to backdrop a philosophical discussion. Lina's story was not strong or defined enough to effectively support or frame the other tales.

But the imagery, the spell, the possibilities more than the realities - if such they can be called - of that space linger in my mind, evoking their themes of rootlessness and searching, of sanctuaries and betrayals, of currents and quests unfilled. This is a book for a leisurely read, with lots of time for thinking, considering, pondering.

The book is an intricate weaving of four story lines in history. At the epicentre is a way station where migrants stop temporarily, built of time, memory and history that attempts to help navigate the stories. From the great plague, to the Jewish persecution of the Second World War, to the turmoil during the Tang Dynasty, the story follows characters that seem to be both in the three volumes of rescued encyclopedias, occupying rooms in the ephemeral building, seeming both historical figures as well as real people. Madeleine Thien obviously is a very skilled writer, who weaves physics, philosophy and Buddhist ideas into the stories. In a nutshell, this book is about the stories we tell each other, especially during times of turmoil in society, how we pass knowledge to the next generation and keep ourselves buoyed above the turmoil.

I really struggled with this and it went over my head a lot of the time. It was difficult to remember the stories of Hannah, Du Fu and Spinoza. I'm not sure I understand the point of the boom nor do I feel like there was any definitive ending. I almost didn't finish it but I struggle with leaving a boom unfinished even more than struggling through this

Stunning. Madeline Thien at her best. High vibes, low plot, dreamy brilliant writing wrapped around three historical fiction vignettes. Gloriously hopeful and timely in our current political climate. Feel like this is destined for the Booker prize list. The three historical characters - Spinoza, Arendt, Du Fu - were ones I didn’t know a great deal about and enjoyed learning about them.

I only got partway through this. I was hopeful in the beginning, the synopsis sounded interesting but I finally gave up. I was so confused with the storylines and it wasn't making a whole lot of sense. I kept feeling like I had missed something along the way. This definitely wasn't for me.

I appreciated the beautiful poetic writing in The Book of Records and thought the themes being explored (identity, memory, history) were very interesting.

Unfortunately, I didn't finish the novel because the plot wasn't compelling enough for me and it was challenging to follow at times.

In all fairness, the book is completely out of my wheelhouse as I gravitate towards mysteries, thrillers and action fantasy. So while I'm giving it 3 stars I can fully appreciate that fans of this type of story will likely give it 4 or 5.

This was my first read by Madeleine Thien and The Book of Records is quite an inventive and multi-layered story! I really enjoyed the creativity in this writing as it blurs the boundaries of time and characters. The three historical figures are interwoven with care and rich thought. I especially liked the part about the Chinese poet Du Fu. The story within a story aspect was so interesting and I’m very curious to read this author’s other book Do Not Say We Have Nothing.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for this e-ARC of The Book of Records in exchange for an honest review. I think Thien's writing style was perfect for this book but that's truthfully the only thing I really remember from this book. I think maybe it just wasn't for me but I think people who like your journeys through history and parallel timelines will enjoy this book.