THE WEIGHT OF INK | RACHEL KADISH | 2017

First of all this is a l-o-n-g book, probably equal to three books. And it’s all the better for it.

Set in London in two eras, 1660s and present day, this is a story of a young Jewish scribe who writes under a pseudonym and hides some of her work, and an older woman who strives to uncover the identity of the scribe. Sounds pretty simple but this book details the diaspora of Jews in the 17^th century and the customs of the day. For one, the young scribe is a girl from Amsterdam, Ester Valesquez who takes on the role to the blind rabbi against the norms of the religion when her brother runs off. For another, she has no desire to be married or for the security that would bring.

Ester is a natural scholar, as is Helen Watt the present day non-Jewish professor of Jewish history. Helen is unwell and this places an imperative on the story to uncover who wrote the works. The interweaving of the two stories is delicately balanced although Ester’s story is the stronger. The writing is remarkable in that it manages to convey the ambiance of the 1660s in a completely accessible way. Part history and part philosophy but never boring the tale also brings to life the thoughts and feelings of the young girl in a man’s world.

Helen’s story doesn’t have the same resonance or the magic and is the poorer for it. I didn’t like Helen or her young American protégé. But they were both necessary to bring the premise of the story to life. Just Ester’s story would have been a simple but intriguing tale, by adding the present day with Helen’s deteriorating health and other historians racing for the manuscripts there’s a juxtaposition of the slow pace of the 1660s and faster pace of the present day.

Yes it is long, yes it is satisfying and it’s also rewarding to learn the about the habits and culture of another era so very different from our own.