The Collector of Burned Books

The immersive latest from White (A Portrait of Loyalty) sees two book lovers’ lives collide in WWII Paris. Sorbonne professor Corinne Bastien has never been one to comply blindly with authority, so after the Nazis take control of her city in 1940, it’s not long before she’s passing encrypted messages back and forth with her students and keeping a protective eye on “The Library of Burned Books,” a collection of titles banned by German officials. When Christian Bauer, a German professor who’s been unwillingly designated the Nazis’ bibliotheksschutz—charged with controlling libraries and the “dangerous” ideas they contain—arrives at the Sorbonne, they’re thrown into each other’s paths as he searches for books checked out under her mother’s name. After spending time together, the two come to realize they may be more similar than they think. But as the chemistry between them builds, so do the stakes, and when a secret of Christian’s threatens to come to light and the danger surrounding them mounts, both must draw on their faith to do what’s right. Propulsively plotted and richly detailed, the narrative depicts how dangerous it can be under fascism to entertain ideas deemed “different”—and how deeply necessary. The result is a captivating historical romance and a resonant ode to the power of literature in dark times. (July)