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A review by sherwoodreads
The Book of Esther by Emily Barton
When I finished this book and tried to find a way to characterize it, the title I kept bumping up against was 100 Years of Solitude. Only that book read to me like an allegorical, magical realism history of South America, and this one read like an allegorical, magical realism story of . . . what? If there is a classic as substrate, I missed it. It did not feel like the Biblical Book of Esther underlies it. I could be wrong. I’ll get to why.
First, there is so much going on in this book, which is set in an alternate Earth wherein the Jews have had a powerful kingdom existing between Russia and Europe for a very long time. But now, an influx of Jewish refugees driven before the German bombers causes Esther to leave her home, where women’s roles are constrained by ancient Biblical law, to take a boy slave much loved by the family, on a quest to be turned into a man so she can lead a war against the invaders.
Why has this kingdom existed so long without modern tech? They communicate with carrier pigeons (the birds are a wonderful part of the book) and travel on mechanical horses that act like real horses and have personality (Seleme, Esther’s horse, is another wonderful character. How do these work? There are Golems, and mystical gender transformations, and there is a whole lot of folklore, Kabbalistic lore, and cultural references here that go unexplained, along with smatterings of various languages, mostly Hebrew and Yiddish.
It took me a long time to read this book. It felt rather like watching an art film mostly shot in sepia tones, from a distance, except when there are close-ups that leave me struggling to understand the undertones and complexities. The writing is vivid, subtle, complex, and can be quite painfully graphic, and yet it was difficult for me to become emotionally engaged even as the tension built.
I think it was because of the magic realism feel—that nothing works the way I expect it to, so I don’t trust my own conclusions, and though the amazing variety of cultures, people, customs, and actions evoked a variety of emotions, my chief one was too often confusion. The end feels like allegory or magic realism—I wondered if this was to be the first in a series. Or, maybe the last couple lines tell you all you need to know.
Altogether? I am glad I read the book, though it did take me so long, and it left me struggling for understanding. But that is no bad thing.
Copy received from NetGalley
First, there is so much going on in this book, which is set in an alternate Earth wherein the Jews have had a powerful kingdom existing between Russia and Europe for a very long time. But now, an influx of Jewish refugees driven before the German bombers causes Esther to leave her home, where women’s roles are constrained by ancient Biblical law, to take a boy slave much loved by the family, on a quest to be turned into a man so she can lead a war against the invaders.
Why has this kingdom existed so long without modern tech? They communicate with carrier pigeons (the birds are a wonderful part of the book) and travel on mechanical horses that act like real horses and have personality (Seleme, Esther’s horse, is another wonderful character. How do these work? There are Golems, and mystical gender transformations, and there is a whole lot of folklore, Kabbalistic lore, and cultural references here that go unexplained, along with smatterings of various languages, mostly Hebrew and Yiddish.
It took me a long time to read this book. It felt rather like watching an art film mostly shot in sepia tones, from a distance, except when there are close-ups that leave me struggling to understand the undertones and complexities. The writing is vivid, subtle, complex, and can be quite painfully graphic, and yet it was difficult for me to become emotionally engaged even as the tension built.
I think it was because of the magic realism feel—that nothing works the way I expect it to, so I don’t trust my own conclusions, and though the amazing variety of cultures, people, customs, and actions evoked a variety of emotions, my chief one was too often confusion. The end feels like allegory or magic realism—I wondered if this was to be the first in a series. Or, maybe the last couple lines tell you all you need to know.
Altogether? I am glad I read the book, though it did take me so long, and it left me struggling for understanding. But that is no bad thing.
Copy received from NetGalley