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Waiting at the airport of a Caribbean island for his homeward bound plane, Edward Ray--the bookman of the title--reflects on this week, which has changed his life. First, there was the cargo ship voyage to San Juan de Pinos, a journey shared by an odd assortment of fellow passengers whose lives impinge on his own, and who entertain one another--in the manner of the travellers in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales with stories of their own unusual experiences. Then there are his hopes for meeting Claudia--unseen for three decades--and for reviving the love they shared 30 years ago. Lastly there is Janet Tyner, a young woman who offers him a ride on the island and then gives him much more than he ever bargained for. The Bookman's Tale is a lush and exotic novel, compact with the sights and smells of the Caribbean, of desire and passion, and with the mysterious ways of fate. It is a novel marked, as well, by the sensitive reflections of the Bookman himself, who, after his trip, has, perhaps, the most unusual tale of all those who made the journey.