I fell in love with this book from the moment I came across it. First, with the plot: the lives and work of the invisible women who used to bind the books printed by the Oxford University Press during the First World War. Second, with the location: Jericho is my favourite part of Oxford, just around the corner from where I live, and where I spend most of my spare time. And third, with Pip Williams’ writing, which is truly magical.

Needless to say, this could only be a sad book. I mostly like sad books anyway, so right up my street! But even when you see it coming, you still can’t predict how much it will hit you, this wave of sadness, and heartbreaking, truly unforgettable stories. For me, one of the most memorable historical stories was the Sack of Louvain, a real event which Williams weaves seamlessly into her narrative. Lotte’s character, so nicely built, which starts as a little too uptight and cryptic but ends up breaking whatever was left of your heart, offers an insight into the drama of Belgian refugees in 1914, but also serves as a stark reminder of the reality of present and past refugees. 

And the other story that has been haunting me every time this book springs to mind is that of Ms Hillbrook and her son, ten, full of beans, and the devastating effects of the ‘Spanish Flu.’ I’m sorry for the spoiler here, but I can no longer walk past Jericho’s Cranham Street without thinking about the drama of these fictional characters that, despite having been given no more than a few pages in the novel, had an intensely heartbreaking effect on me (yes, I cried!).

Jericho is now a desirable area of Oxford, so charming and full of character and only a couple of minutes from the centre. All of my favourite cafes, delis and yoga/pilates studios are here! But less than a hundred years ago it was a poor, working class slum on the edge of town, in stark contrast with the affluent Oxford University. I walk down the canal on the towpath nearly every day, past what would have been Peggy’s and Maude’s mooring, with the beautiful tower of St. Barnabas Church behind it. Just a couple of years ago, a regeneration project was approved for this site that includes luxury, overpriced flats but no funds were allocated for affordable housing. History is not that far gone, after all…

After I read The Bookbinder of Jericho, I just couldn’t start another book without writing down these thoughts that had been haunting me since finishing this novel. Yes it does have a slow start, but it builds its pace steadily, culminating with the last hundred or so pages that you can’t put down anymore and that got me crying silently in bed at night. Don’t be put off by my sobbing, I loved it so much and it wouldn’t have been a good book had it not made me shed at least a few tears.