The Cartographers by Peng ShepherdMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Immerse yourself in the world of maps and cartographers; phantom settlements and copyright traps.
The story takes place in two time frames. Present day Nell was unceremoniously fired from the New York Public Library Map Room seven years ago due to her discovery of an old New York state highway map in the basement of the library. It was her father who had her fired, an esteemed cartographer and scholar. The second story line involves an influential clique of seven students at the University of Wisconsin 30 years ago. The students band together during their undergraduate work in cartographer and remain close friends during their PhDs, also in cartography at Wisconsin. Two of those clique members are Nell's mother and father.
The story jumps back and forth between present day and 30 years ago. We learn the backstory of the highway map and why it caused such an uproar to Nell's father. We also learn an incredible amount about cartography and map-making. The book is told from various points of view -- Nell in present day and each of the seven students 30 years ago. Because of this, it was difficult to keep all of the characters and events straight in my mind at times.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It contained many of my wheelhouses: books, libraries, scholarship, mystery, plus the New York Public Library! There's even some magical realism thrown in. Jump in and enjoy the ride. You'll need to suspend your disbelief, but I think you'll enjoy this book.
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