Schaffert, Timothy. The Titanic Survivors Book Club. Doubleday Books. 2024. 978-0-385-54915-8. 320 p. $29. Grades 10+.
Two years after the Titanic sank, people who held tickets to sail on the disastrous journey, but for myriad reasons never boarded, are invited to a mysterious gathering. This first encounter is the catalyst for a story about healing, love, memory, and friendship. The backdrop for most of the action is a charming Paris bookshop, hosting a central theme of how books can bring people together. Lush and detailed descriptions immerse the reader in a moment of pre-war freedoms, from humble cafes to grand opera houses. The main characters are lovingly drawn, and readers will be as fond of them as the author clearly is. Some elements of the characters’ lives feel improbably magical, but that will be exactly what draws many readers to this novel.
THOUGHTS: This is a highly readable story that will be enjoyed by high school fans of historical fiction, queer literature, and anything whimsical. I immediately started recommending this to devotees of The House in the Cerulean Sea, though The Titanic Survivors Book Club is for older readers as the characters do drink and smoke.
Historical Fiction