The Weight of Ink

The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish is an historical fiction discovery of a Jewish scribe in London in the 1600s.

Professor Helen Watts is approaching the age when she will be force into retirement. She is an authority on the Jews of England.

When a former student contacts her about some documents found in a house his wife has inherited, Helen is not too hopeful. Most of those types of finds are in the past. But hidden in a secret panel under the stairs are the papers of a little known rabbi from the 1600s. A possible glimpse into Jewish life of the time - well before the keeping of diaries.

Telling the tale of a Portuguese Jew who moved from Amsterdam to London, the papers are a great find. Even more astonishing - the scribe appears to have been a woman.

Told in alternating chapters between the 2000s and 1600s, this fascinating novel reveals a little explored time of Jewish history. For background, read Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean.

If you are a fan of history, archival librarianship or discovery, read this great book!

Kadish, Rachel (2017). The Weight of Ink. New York: Houghton Mifflin.