The Weight of Ink

April 24, 2017
Like A.S. Byatt’s Possession and Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, this emotionally rewarding novel follows the familiar pattern of present-day academics trying to make sense of a mystery from the past. Helen Watt, a British historian facing retirement, and her much younger American assistant, Aaron Levy, are asked to examine a cache of documents found in a London townhouse, purported to be the work of a blind rabbi in 1661 and written out by a copyist known only as Aleph. Aaron is brash and right from the outset rubs prickly, Parkinson’s-suffering Helen the wrong way. But they are forced to work together after Helen realizes that Aleph was most probably a Jewish woman—unheard-of for the 17th century. In alternating chapters, we see life of the copyist, Ester Velasquez, as an immigrant from Amsterdam, her friendship with a wealthy Jewish merchant’s daughter, her attempts to survive the plague and the Great Fire of London, and her covert correspondence with the preeminent minds of the period, including rogue philosopher Benedictus de Spinoza. Meanwhile, in the present, Helen and Aaron overcome academic infighting, rival historians, and greedy house owners to uncover Ester’s fate. What they find out about her life informs what they ultimately learn about themselves. Ester’s story illuminates the plight of London Jews in the 17th century, and Helen and Aaron’s sparking relationship is vivid and memorable, as the two historians discover how desire can transcend time.

April 1, 2017
A mysterious collection of papers hidden in a historic London home sends two scholars of Jewish history on an unforgettable quest.When Helen Watt receives a phone call from a former student about centuries-old documents secreted away in his posh residence, she doesn't hold out much hope for their importance. Close to retirement, Helen's seen it all. But a cursory look at the papers tells her she's holding something special. She returns to the house with Aaron Levy, an eager American graduate student, in tow. Despite butting heads over process, the unlikely pair of literary detectives uncover a stunning truth: the writer of the documents is a 17th-century woman who chronicled the Jewish diaspora, from the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition to the rich trade city of Amsterdam and the relative safe haven of London. Kadish (I Was Here, 2014, etc.) deftly weaves contemporary scholarly intrigue with the voice of Ester Velasquez, an incandescent 17th-century mind who longed to engage with the brilliant men of her day. "Here I begin," writes Ester in her very first attempt. "I am one soul in a great city." Ester risks everything to wrestle with ideas that counter rabbinical teachings, developing a secret identity to protect her family from harm--and relishing her newfound freedom. Clocking in at almost 600 pages, the novel could have used a judicious pruning to highlight the intellectual game of cat and mouse that plays out across four centuries. Still, Kadish's characters are memorable, and we're treated to a host of them: pious rabbis and ribald actors, socialites and troubled young men, Mossad agents and rule-worshipping archivists. From Shakespeare's Dark Lady to Spinoza's philosophical heresies, Kadish leaves no stone unturned in this moving historical epic. Chock-full of rich detail and literary intrigue.

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Starred review from April 15, 2017

Helen Watt, an elderly British academic in Jewish studies, sees her final opportunity for fame in a collection of 17th-century documents discovered in a cupboard behind a stairway in the home of a former student. The documents, primarily written in Portuguese and Hebrew, are the work of an unknown scribe, identified by the Hebrew letter aleph. As she researches, Helen and her graduate assistant Aaron Levy find that "aleph" is actually a woman named Ester Velasquez who scribed for a rabbi, blinded during the Inquisition. Ester, like Helen, chose a life of intellect over that of marriage and family. The stories of both women are linked as the novel moves back and forth between their lives 350 years apart. Ester and her blind rabbi are beset by the plague and anti-Semitism while Helen and Aaron struggle through the toxicity of academia and their own botched personal relationships. VERDICT This astonishing third novel from Kadish (after From a Sealed Room and Tolstoy Lied) introduces readers to the 17th-century Anglo-Jewish world with not only excellent scholarship but also fine storytelling. The riveting narrative and well-honed characters will earn a place in readers' hearts.--Andrea Kempf, formerly with Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS

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