In THE BOOKS OF JACOB, Tokarczuk traverses the Hapsburg and Ottoman Empires and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in search of Jacob Frank, a highly controversial historical figure from the eighteenth century and the leader of a mysterious, heretical Jewish splinter group that converted at different times to both Islam and Catholicism. Examining Frank through the eyes of both his supporters and those who reviled him, Tokarczuk paints an intricate picture of a divisive yet charismatic man whose life highlights the complex narrative strands of history. Lauded by critics, the publication of THE BOOKS OF JACOB met with a violent reaction from far right-groups in Poland and Tokarczuk became the recipient of death threats for its subversion of the dominant nationalist interpretation of the formation of the modern Polish nation-state.

Considered by many critics to be Tokarczuk's masterpiece, THE BOOKS OF JACOB won Poland's highest literary honour, the Nike, in 2015.