BRF: "The Debt of Tamar"

via Goodreads

I said in my review on Goodreads that I'm not sure how to describe this book. The writing style felt unique and yet oddly reminiscent of Paulo Coehlo and Salman Rushdie. It raised questions about love, death, grief, and what we pass on to our descendants.

The book passes through three different periods in history. We see the Spanish Inquisition through the eyes of a wealthy Jewish family in Lisbon, Portugal. They were forced to renounce their faith or be burned at the stake. We see Jewish refugees from all over Europe being welcomed into the Ottoman Empire by Suleiman the Magnificent. We see Paris during World War II and it's aftermath. We see a modern day Istanbul and New York City.

Overall, I enjoyed reading it and would love to talk to someone else who's read it about the book. It made me want to know even more than I already do about the history of the Ottoman Empire, the Sultans, Ataturk, and the history of the Jewish people. Simon Schama's "History of the Jews" on PBS merely gave an appetizer to what is out there to learn and Western culture does not spend enough time discussing or teaching the history of the Orient. I want to learn more.