The Book Shop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman

I feel tricked; but in a good way. There are so many novels out there set in World War Two that I must confess I tend to avoid them after having read so many. The back of this excellent novel says it is set in rural Australia in 1969, the title was interesting, and the cover caught my eye. But wait, there’s more.

Kind-hearted farmer Tom is recovering from a disastrous marriage to the troubled Trudy; made much worse by the fact that he adored his wife’s young son Peter (not Tom’s biological son) who has left to live in a dubious religious community with Trudy. Then Tom meets Hannah, who has opened a book shop in the township, and they begin a lovely relationship. Except that Hannah is a Hungarian Jew who lost all of her family at the hands of the Nazis, including her young son at Auschwitz. Of course.

We learn about the horror of Hannah’s past life experiences as well as Peter’s desperate efforts to be reunited with his beloved Tom. The Australian rural community feature strongly and local colour is perfectly captured. There are barriers to Tom and Hannah’s relationship due to their disparate worlds and things do not always go smoothly.

This is a novel about lost souls trying to find love and make it work in a complicated world, and of two very different people both grieving for those they have lost.

I loved this book. As with many good books I did not want it to end but read it quickly because I had to know how everything turned out. Robert Hillman is an award-winning writer and an excellent storyteller who writes very elegantly without being sentimental.

One of the best books of my reading year and highly recommended.

Reviewed by Katrina

Catalogue link:  The Book Shop of the Broken Hearted