Ann Guidry is a freelance writer and editor. In this essay, she discusses the role of travel in The Historian

At its heart, The Historian is a quest tale. It is also a historical thriller, a romance, and a travelogue—all genres that tend to feature travel as an integral part of the action. But travel is used as more than a simple plot device in Kostova's novel. Travel acts as a metaphor for the quest for knowledge; it illustrates the significance of geographical history; it explains the origins of religious and political differences between characters; and it expands the scope of an already rich story. Kostova uses her characters' wanderings to explore vital connections between travel and history, history and truth, and truth and the act of seeking. These elements serve as both questions and answers and are inextricably linked to the time periods and exotic...