The Invention of Air

How it reads

The Invention of Air is biography (historical biography, specifically), and its dominant mood is hopeful. Whatever it puts its people through, it believes things can get better. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in an international setting, in the historical past, told across two timelines. Its central concerns are art and creativity, faith and nature. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending resolves happily. At 254 pages it's a quick read. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.