Atmospheric, poignant, and deeply humane…
Shalev’s latest is a sweeping historical drama that carries readers from wartime Amsterdam to Inquisition-era Portugal, where love, faith, and survival are tested across centuries. As war engulfs Amsterdam, Mirjam, a gentile piano teacher, risks everything to protect the Jewish family she has come to love. Centuries earlier in Portugal, Amelia Ferrera, a secret Jew, confronts a forbidden love under the shadow of the Inquisition. Across generations, two women must choose between love and survival.
Shalev skillfully alternates between the two timelines, drawing clear emotional and thematic connections between them. Both Mirjam and Amelia are portrayed with sensitivity as women navigating worlds shaped by intolerance, danger, and deeply personal choices. The historical settings are richly rendered, with careful attention to cultural detail, religious tension, and the quiet ways individuals resist oppressive systems. Though the narrative moves across centuries, its central concerns, such as identity, loyalty, faith, and sacrifice, remain strikingly consistent. Ultimately, the novel becomes a moving meditation on resilience and the quiet courage required to protect those we love when history leaves no easy choices.
Fans of sweeping historical sagas and forbidden romance set against turbulent history will be gratified.
Pub date March 2, 2026
ISBN 979-8248448487
Print length 286
Price $14.99 (USD) paperback, $0.99 Kindle edition, $0.00 Kindle Unlimited