Erin (Historical Fiction Reader)'s Reviews > The Debt of Tamar

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My name is Erin Davies and I am a cover slut. I see an attractive jacket and any and all impulse control goes straight out the window. Half the time I throw caution to the wind and don't even read the description... okay more than half the time, but it's my lie, I'll tell it the way I want.

Now I know I should be ashamed at the shallowness of my selection process, but the truth is I'm not. It isn't a finite rule or anything, but quality jackets generally grace quality content. More importantly though, this tendency leads me to sample a lot of titles I would've otherwise passed without a second thought. Titles that turned out to be well-worth my time. Titles like Nicole Dweck's The Debt of Tamar.

A nontraditional and abstract romance, Dweck's is a beautifully poignant tale of love, loss, and redemption that touches multiple generations over more than five hundred years. Boasting a wide array of characters, I greatly appreciated the contrast Dweck created among the various protagonists and found much to admire in the philosophical complexities of their collective story.

Unfortunately for me, I found one of the novel's greatest strengths was also a significant frustration. I very much liked Dona Antonia Nissim and would have loved to spend hours in her company, but the shifting focus of the narrative quashed that desire almost as soon as it was born. This happened again and again, with Jose, Reyna, Tamar, Murat, Davide, Edward, Selim, Ayda and Hannah. There is an ethereal beauty in the interconnected tapestry of their lives, but I'm a selfish reader and felt somewhat cheated by the brevity of time I was allowed to spend with each of Dweck's brilliantly imagined cast. I understand the nature of this story is not conducive to such treatment, but I genuinely feel their personal journeys have potential beyond that depicted within these pages.

My petty grievances aside, I found The Debt of Tamar a beautiful story that transcends traditional boundaries with timeless themes and evocative prose. A truly captivating debut that holds much promise for its author.