WHAT WAS FORBIDDEN

In Bockian’s historical novel, a young woman in 17th-century Italy sets out to learn what really happened after her beloved brother is murdered.

In the year 1672, Yehudit Baldosa Parenzo is a widow in her mid-30s living in the Ghetto of Venice (located in Italy’s Cannaregio district and currently considered the oldest Jewish ghetto in the world). Her world crumbles when she discovers that her beloved brother, an unassuming merchant named Mordechai, has been found dead with his throat slit and his body burned. Obsessed with finding out who murdered her brother and why it was done, Yehudit plunges into an increasingly labyrinthine investigation that takes her through Mordechai’s last days. Uncovering his involvement with an increasingly fractured “Garden” group that regularly debates holy texts (“It often seemed to him that in the layers upon layers of texts and commentaries, the practice of explicating words was as central to Ebraismo [Judaism] as the belief in one God”) and his apparent plan to run away to Amsterdam with his courtesan lover, Yehudit is left to wonder: How well did she really know her brother? And what barriers is she willing to break in order to find and speak the truth? Bockian crafts an intricate story set against the backdrop of the arrival of Shabbetai Tsvi (a man who claimed to be the Messiah) and the revolutionary writings of the “heretic” Benedict Spinoza. The author compellingly contrasts Yehudit’s personal journey to resilience and personal strength with her brother’s experiences (via flashbacks) as they both push back against tradition. The sheer amount of historical detail makes for a dense text that may overwhelm more casual readers, but the story (based on true events) includes enough twists and turns to move forward at an engaging pace. With a capable narrative voice that explains without lecturing, Bockian effectively explores timeless themes of religion, family, and societal expectations.

A fascinating historical drama.