(Reviewed by JD Jung)
#CommissionsEarned
“I want to live life, not read about it.”
That is what people kept telling Chicago bookseller Gabe Johnson, who came from generations of rare book dealers. With the growth of online bookstores, even his father advised him to give up the family business and move to Europe.
But Gabe found solace in books. He was abandoned by his mother, and the love of his life, Olivia, never reciprocated his love.
When his father dies, he tries to figure out where he wants to go and what he wants to do. He had always read the great philosophers and realized from Montaigne that “The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.”
Gabe decides to reopen the bookstore on the shores of Lake Michigan. “Life as I had known it had come to an end. I was going to have to invent a new life…” We follow Gabe through his rediscovery as he finds that the past and present often merge.
Love, Death & Rare Books celebrates the power of books on so many levels. As in other novels by the late author Robert Hellenga, setting and supporting characters are essential to his stories. His protagonists often look at the question of life and purpose, especially after tragedy or a major life change. Examples are The Sixteen Pleasures and Philosophy Made Simple. Hellenga’s novels always keep the reader engaged until the very end. This book is no exception.
This was the last book written by Hellenga, who died in 2020. For more on this compelling author, please go to In Remembrance – Robert Hellenga
So, back to the topic at hand. Is it better to live life or read about it? Why can’t we do both?
