"A tender, searching novel about what it means to be present."
Josef Batten, born in 1930s Poland and orphaned at birth, becomes one of the world’s most celebrated war photographers, yet lives as a ghost behind the camera, emotionally cut off from the world he documents.
After a breakdown in the late 1980s, he vanishes. When he re‑emerges, it’s with a new focus: as a portraitist capturing the intimate beauty of human connection.
At the heart of his transformation is Adam Laidlaw, a young man who sees Josef not as a legend, but as a human being.
The Many Truths of Josef Batten is a story about love, trauma, memory, and art, and the redemptive power of friendship. It asks what it means to truly see and be seen, and whether healing is possible after decades of detachment.
Sometimes the greatest act of love is simply to listen.
For fans of Ann Patchett, Elizabeth Strout, Maggie O’Farrell and the fiction of John Berger, this is a moving novel about love, friendship, memory, and the power of simply being there.
Perfect for readers seeking:
Character-driven fiction rooted in human connection
Stories of love, deep friendship, and chosen family
Themes of memory, identity, healing and belonging
Book club novels that spark rich conversations
"A tender, searching novel about what it means to be present."
Josef Batten, born in 1930s Poland and orphaned at birth, becomes one of the world’s most celebrated war photographers, yet lives as a ghost behind the camera, emotionally cut off from the world he documents.
After a breakdown in the late 1980s, he vanishes. When he re‑emerges, it’s with a new focus: as a portraitist capturing the intimate beauty of human connection.
At the heart of his transformation is Adam Laidlaw, a young man who sees Josef not as a legend, but as a human being.
The Many Truths of Josef Batten is a story about love, trauma, memory, and art, and the redemptive power of friendship. It asks what it means to truly see and be seen, and whether healing is possible after decades of detachment.
Sometimes the greatest act of love is simply to listen.
For fans of Ann Patchett, Elizabeth Strout, Maggie O’Farrell and the fiction of John Berger, this is a moving novel about love, friendship, memory, and the power of simply being there.
Perfect for readers seeking:
Character-driven fiction rooted in human connection
Stories of love, deep friendship, and chosen family
Themes of memory, identity, healing and belonging
Book club novels that spark rich conversations
