Appearing at Morristown & Morris Township Library | 12:10 pm – 1:00 pm
In conversation with Elle Cosimano, moderated by Amy Poeppel.
About the author
Eva Jurczyk is a writer and librarian at the University of Toronto. Born in Poland, Jurczyk has written articles for Jezebel, The Awl, The Rumpus, and Publishers Weekly. Her first novel, The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, was published in January 2022 and was an IndieNext and LibraryReads pick. Jurczyk currently lives with her husband, son, and her collection of books in Toronto, Canada.
MFOB featured book: The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections
In her debut novel, The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Jurczyk brings to life the world of academia and intrigues the reader with the mysteries surrounding those who collect, compete, and care for the rare books that fill the library shelves.
Liesl Weiss long ago learned to be content working behind the scenes in the distinguished rare books department of a large university, managing details and working behind the scenes to make the head of the department look good. But when her boss has a stroke and she’s left to run things, she discovers that the library’s most prized manuscript is missing. Liesl tries to sound the alarm and inform the police about the missing, priceless book, but is told repeatedly to keep quiet, to keep the doors open, and the donors happy. But then a librarian unexpectedly stops showing up to work. Liesl must investigate both disappearances, unspooling her colleagues’ pasts like the threads of a rare book binding as it becomes clear that someone in the department must be responsible for the theft.
