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By the Book: Aleksandar Hemon is not a fan of Philip Roth.

In the Brusilov Offensive of 1916, a million soldiers die, but “back then,” Hemon notes, “the two of them, or any of the nothings and nobodies whose bodies were to be destroyed, had no name for it, for it needed no name since it was simply what it was.”

“The World and All That It Holds” would be an audacious title for a book by anybody except God — or Aleksandar Hemon.

Hemon’s charismatic new novel wends its way across Europe and Asia during the first half of the 20th century, taking in the world and, yes, all that it holds.

From start to finish, no matter what else he’s up to, Hemon is telling a tale about the resilience of true love.