The Man Who Read Books is luminous. The writing is exquisite and encapsulating to the bittersweet end, the kind of writing and storytelling you dream of encountering. There is not a single chapter that isn’t striking, precise and poignant, yet also subtly luxurious in its language. It reads as an effortless balance of give and restraint. Author Rachid Benzine and translator Sam Taylor sweep the reader away as a French photographer stumbles across Nabil Al Jaber, an old man reading on the doorstop of his bookshop in the war-torn city of Gaza. As the photographer traverses a city half in ruins, the author is a kind of magician, speaking into existence the unspeakable evidence of a place haunted by an ever-present war. Just before the photographer can capture the old man in that moment in time, Nabil stops him, and we get further swept away into his life’s story. The Man Who Read Books is a love letter to literature and what books can do to balm suffering and pain, to guide people through turbulent times and help us grow and live on rather than wilt or wither in the face of deafening hardship. The included excerpts from other works of literature, both prose and poetry, are like touches of gold to an already shining work of art. The excerpts are singular, and come from writers of all walks of life who collectively understand something fundamental and quintessential about life and the human condition. The Man Who Read Books rises to this same level of artistry and achieves that mysterious perfection that evades precise commentary. But precision isn’t needed or wanted; The Man Who Read Books simply speaks to the mysteries of life in such a profound way that the soul understands even if the mind does not fully grasp the parameters. This is a book both enchanting and devastating, the kind of book that is timely now and will be timely as long as there are people living lives in the world.
The Man Who Read Books by Rachid Benzine, (List Price: $20, Cardinal, 9781538781159, November 2026)
Reviewed by Savannah, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, NC
