BOOKS > Book of Esther

The Torah is the inspiration of Esther David’s third novel Book of Esther, which also happens to be one of the most beautiful stories narrated in the old testament. Loosely based on family history, the novel is a treasure trove of stories. Mingling reality with a imaginary world, the novel begins in the nineteenth century with Bathsheba, as she waits for her husband to return from his long absence at their home in Danda village on the Konkan coast. The story weaves it’s way from the Konkan to Ahmedabad. Joseph and David inherit Bathsheba’s empathy for all things living, besides possessing a remarkable talent as a doctor in Ahmedabad, but is unable to rein in his exuberant son, in whom the ability to heal is directed towards lions, tigers, panthers and even crocodiles. He goes on to found a zoo and the stories of the pets he raises form a heartbreaking accompaniment to the human drama. Given this background, Esther’s own story acquires an unusual poignancy as she struggles to find her moorings. A search for roots takes her to Israel and France. The turmoils in the city of her birth, coalesce into a desperate search for answer and strength. Peopled by a host of memorable characters, some of them wonderfully eccentric, Book of Esther casts a fresh perspective on the Jewish experience in India as it chronicles the fortunes of a gifted family. Most of all, however, it is a celebration, intensely felt of love and attachment and the joys and sorrows that they bring.

Published by Penguin India, Viking. 2002. ISBN 0-67-00409-3. To buy this book contact Biji.samuel@in.penguingroup.com