Dueling Viewpoints by Barbara Davis
The Appeal of The Echo of Old Books
A true bibliophile, I am often drawn to novels that focus on books. No surprise that I had to check out a novel by Barbara Davis titled The Echo of Old Books. The title hooked me, but so did the book blurb which teased me with the premise that some people can sense the emotional imprint of the book's previous owner. Ashlyn Greer, a rare book dealer, has that ability.
"What a cool ability," I thought. "How fascinating to feel what others felt when touching the pages of a book," I mused as I read how Ashlyn Greer reacted to the "echoes" and emotions lingering on the pages of old books.
Of course, I had to suspend my disbelief for a bit. As a former business owner, my first thought was that no one could make a living by selling rare books as Ashlyn was doing, but given that this book takes place in Boston near elite universities and in communities of people who have money in the 1980s, I let that doubt go. Once I let my worry about Ashlyn's income go and got into the real storyline, I was undeniably hooked.
The Brilliant Idea for Publishers
In The Echo of Old Books, Ashlyn combs through old bookstores and tubs of cast-offs from estate sales. During her searches, Ashlyn discovers two leather-bound volumes written by unknown authors, "Belle" and "Hemi," pseudonyms chosen by the authors to hide their identities.
Here's the brilliant idea for publishers: The two volumes that Ashlyn finds tell the same story in two opposing voices, each one half of a passionate, now-broken love affair. It's like having an argument by writing books. Cultivating and crafting your most lavish prose in defense of your actions, honing your words like weapons. Your story is told chronologically as events unfold, as hurts deepens, as time takes its toll without interruption from others. A polished, yet private, printed rebuke of your lover's actions.
Belle gives one version of events in her book titled, "Forever and Other Lies." Hemi gives his version of events in his volume titled, "Regretting Belle." We, the readers, see the whole story unfold and intertwine with the other, one perspective at a time. Each of the two volumes are tinged with bitterness, anger, longing, loss, and love.
I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be fantastic if a publisher would take on some stories in dueling books, as portrayed in this Barbara Davis novel? Wouldn't it be interesting to read a story in one book that is told from a completely different point of view in another one? Companion pieces of an uncompanionable sort!
Of course, I'm sure the publishers would object, saying things like, "It would be cost prohibitive to print two books when it could be done in one." "Customers won't want to pay for two books about the same topic." They'd probably ask, "What if the first volume release doesn't do well?" "What kind of advertising budget can we afford if we have to market multiple volumes instead of one?"
You get the gist of their arguments. But The Echo of Old Books makes me want to read two versions of the same story in two different books. Maybe publishers should consider this innovative idea.
Hernan Diaz used a similar approach in his Pulitizer Prize-Winning novel, Trust, only his novel had four different narrators in the same book, each shedding a different light on the same period of history.
More to the Story...or Stories....
Of course, the dueling viewpoint is not the only aspect of the book. The Echo of Old Books highlights some of the issues inherent in the period around World War II, like the anti-Semitism that permeated the minds of many. It focuses on the lives of the wealthy versus the not-so-wealthy who must rely on other means to gain access to the upper echelon of society.
The back stories of Belle and Hemi are important. Who were these people? Why did they write these books? What do they mean to Ashlyn?
Like many books today, this one is based on a dual timeline. Ashlyn Greer's life in the 1980s and her search for old books results in her quest to learn the secrets of Hemi and Belle who lived two generations before her during the 1940s. We witness both time periods.
This was a compelling read. If you love books, historical fiction, or a good love story, you'll like it, too.
The Echo of Old Books was the first book I've read by author Barbara Davis. It definitely won't be my last!
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