One of the many pleasures that my late husband, John, and I enjoyed was collecting signed, first editions. We loved roaming through antique stores, used bookstores and junk sales, eager to see what we could find. And I must admit that since I was a kid, I’ve fantasized about finding the Ernest Hemingway’s lost valise, overflowing with finished and unfinished manuscripts. The allure of discovery and the thrill of the chase is one of the things that peaked my interest in author Harold K. Bush’s debut novel.

I found the opening “Note to the reader” to be quite confusing. The first paragraph is a doozy; it states that the “story is based on actual events and real historical personalities.” In this paragraph, Bush tells us Professor Martin Dean is a second cousin and it is now his responsibility to publish these documents. Quite confusing for a fictional story.

In this tale, Professor Dean has returned to his office at Indiana University. Among the pile of mail is a box. As he opens it, there are several packages, marked in the order to be opened. The letter accompanying the box tells Dean that one of his favorite, former students, Jack Springs has died from prostate cancer at the age of 44.

It seems that after Jack graduate with a Yale PhD. He was unable to find employment. He ended up receiving a Goto Fellowship that sent him to Kobe, Japan, in the early 1990s. Jack meets the man responsible for the Fellowship, a Japanese professor of American Literature named Goto. He and Jack have much in common.

It takes some time and a delicate balancing of Old Japan customs, but the two men become friends, despite the vast differences in their ages. Goto is a collector of rare and valuable items from the vast field of American authors.

Slowly he reveals his treasures to Jack, who never fails to be amazed at the artifacts that Goto owns, like an 1855 first edition of Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass.” That is only one of the many holy grails of American literature.

This is a treasure hunt/adventure of sorts that I found impossible to put down. Both men are equally charming in their own way. The story contains lots of surprises that I hasn’t seen coming.

The Hemingway Files gets 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. ( )

This compelling, emotionally-fraught story reads like a memoir, with such personal details that left me forgetting, time and again, that this is indeed fiction. Anyone who loves books, history, and the connections we share with both as well as each other will appreciate the care with which Bush has crafted this tale, and readers will find themselves immersed quickly and absolutely in the elaborate prose that rolls smoothly and naturally over the pages. Highly recommended. ( )