The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox
A story of grief and hope — and confronting your shadow
The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox
Cover design by Jason Remirez
Hand Lettering by Elizabeth Yaffe
Synopsis:
Taryn Cornick believes that the past--her sister's violent death, and her own ill-conceived revenge--is behind her, and she can get on with her life. She has written a successful book about the things that threaten libraries: insects, damp, light, fire, carelessness, and uncaring . . . but not all of the attention it brings her is good.
A policeman, Jacob Berger, questions her about a cold case. Then there are questions about a fire in the library at her grandparents' house and an ancient scroll box known as the Firestarter, as well as threatening phone calls and a mysterious illness. Finally, a shadowy young man named Shift appears, forcing Taryn and Jacob toward a reckoning felt in more than one world.
The Absolute Book is an epic, action-packed fantasy in which hidden treasures are recovered, wicked things resurface, birds can talk, and dead sisters are a living force. It is a book of journeys and returns, from contemporary England to Auckland, New Zealand; from a magical fairyland to Purgatory. Above all, it is a declaration of love for stories and the ways in which they shape our worlds and create gods out of morals.
Read on for the full review, or jump straight to the summary
Review:
The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox is one of my most treasured books. Having just finished my third read, I had to put my thoughts into words. I’m a sucker for a novel that promises a tale about books themselves and stories on paper are at the heart of this one. Knox takes the things that endanger the physical books we love and explores how those same things are damaging to the soul of a human being and the world around us.
Elizabeth Knox has a way of writing characters that feel tangible. I could certainly see running into Jacob in the city and I’ve definitely had conversations with other people my age about a feeling of mundanity that can seep into everyday life. Everyone has experienced the feeling of wanting to do more, see more, or live more fully. Knox taps into these deep-seated feelings that so many of us feel. She takes hold of the very current feeling of wanting to save the world around us, and the desire to make the bad, scary things go away and follows through.
Told from the perspective of Taryn Cornick, a woman deep in the throws of grief years after the loss of her sister and struggling to come to grips with the darkness inside her and the choices she’s made. Read for yourself if you want the details ;) Wrapped up in between a fantastical mystery about a box that can’t burn and a police investigation, we walk with Taryn as she becomes whole again. The story is sad and joyful all at once. I’ve scarcely read a novel that’s written so close to the way I think myself. Taryn’s thoughts are entrenched in her senses; the way the books in her grandfather’s library smelled on a rainy day, the feeling of the bark on the oak tree where her sister died, and the distinct lack of sound and overstimulation of a peaceful fairyland. It’s reminiscent of my own attachment between memories and the senses. The smell of freshly cut grass reminds me of a smaller version of myself begging her dad to take a ride around the lawn on the lawn mower. And the smell of burning incense reminds me of my mom zipping around the house on cleaning Saturdays, while Fleetwood Mac played in the background and the sun streamed through the single-pane windows in the living room.
The Absolute Book brings up a sense of nostalgia for things that you only slightly remember, or maybe, never experienced at all. Taryn’s story also has a sadness to it. Not an overly heavy sadness but a necessary sadness. Like the rainfall that’s necessary for the rainbow to show. To me, reading this novel felt like taking the first sip of coffee on a winter morning while snuggled up in a sweater and a blanket, watching the sun stream through the windows and light up the suncatchers hanging there. But it also feels like the slight sadness you feel when reminiscing about a past friendship and the hope you feel that, that person you once knew is flourishing.
The peace, contentedness, and joy that we share with Taryn at the end of the novel is so so so worth it. Even if the plot of this book wasn’t as good as it is, and it is GREAT, then I would read it over and over again just to experience Knox’s writing. If you want to feel sadness, hope, loss, and the joy of finding yourself and saving the world, I highly recommend The Absolute Book.
