THE BOOK FAIR

For those interested in historical novels, particularly of Jewish interest, the multi-layered story unfolds an interesting plot that moves back and forth from present day to the 1660’s.  Two intertwining stories engage three main characters, an aging historian who reminisces on the great love of her life:  the lover who excited her but whose commitments she failed to embrace; her assistant, a young man who chases dreams, and the 17th Century scribe who dreams of change.

The mismatched personalities of the historian and assistant both collide and team as the two, eager to publish their findings, document and transcribe the newly discovered 17th Century documents found in an antiquated London home, once owned by 17th Century Portuguese Jews.

Through the young scribe, the author treatises on the question of God’s existence, on God’s relationship to mankind, the social obligations of one to another, the power of men, the place of women, whether or not mankind possesses free will, gives voice to philosophers of the day, and explores different tenets of Christianity and Judaism within the frame of history.

In the dramatic sections of the novel, the scribe flirts with love and harbors loss, the historian and assistant compete with a rival group of researchers to decipher the text.  The most interesting pillar of the novel, a lie presented by the scribe, reverberates through both stories.  The author reveals the characters from different viewpoints, describes 17th Century life, the fire of London, conditions during the plague, relations between Christians and Jews and elaborates on the history of Jewish communities in Europe.