People of the Book

This chapter opens in Tarragona, a region of what is now Spain, in 1492. The main character is David Ben Shoushan, a Jewish sofer or holy book writer. David becomes entranced by some illuminations being sold by a deaf-mute orphan boy in the market, who was brought with his slave from the war-torn regions of Andalusia. David buys the illuminations, though he doesn’t have the money, in order to put them in a Haggadah he is making for the wedding of his nephew, a prominent member of the Jewish community.

Soon, the family is torn apart by the knowledge that David’s son, a convert to Christianity who is now married to a Christian olive oil maker named Rosa, has been taken in by the Inquisitor for keeping Jewish relics in his home. David tries to ask his wealthy brother-in-law for money for the ransom, but his brother-in-law is spending every dollar on a bribe to convince the King and Queen of Spain, Isabel and Ferdinand, to stop their plan to force the Jews to flee Spain. The inability to pay the ransom has harsh consequences for Rosa's