The Weight of Ink

Two interwoven story lines several hundred years apart, one about the intellectual and personal journey of a young Jewess who serves as a scribe to a blind rabbi at a time when women were not permitted entry into the realm of the mind, the other about an elder historian, suffering from Parkinson's, who works with and barely suffers a graduate student to untangle the mysteries of centuries old papers found in a cupboard, which give insights into the
Jewish community of London in the mid 1600s. There is much to appreciate in this novel, particularly in the history of the scribe Ester Velazquez and her trials but also in the delicate treatment of the aging historian and the challenges women face in the competitive largely male world of scholarly pursuits and publishing. If I have any qualms about the book, it is that the long-windedness of many descriptive passages does the novel a disservice and makes it more difficult to enter—shortening it by 20% would make it much crisper while losing neither substance nor flavor. I would recommend it especially for its journey into an under-explored community.