On being grateful to share good books with friends.

Before the COVID19 pandemic came to roost here in Central Illinois I ran into some friends, Joe Strano and Janine Toth at Lucca Pizza.  In classic telegraphic fashion we exchanged pleasantries and titles of books that we are reading.  I was given two suggestions from them that day both are so timely: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra and the above photo The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish.

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena  is a heart wrenching book about the war in Chechnya.  In addition to providing a narrative about the ravages, both physical and emotional of war it is also about true love, friendship, endurance, betrayals and resilience.  Most timely in my mind is the portions that relate the efforts of Sonja a doctor who is struggling to keep a regional hospital working during the worst of the war.  These images have stayed with me as I am awed by the strength and courage of those I know in the front lines of the health.  Since I "used to " volunteer at the hospital I saw lots of amazing people hard at work at Advocate Bro-Menn.  I know that they are still there, working to insure that access to care is available.  Due to my chronic disease, I have to go in periodically for blood work at my local physician's office.  These people are so caring and gutsy, just as much as Sonja (Sofia) Rabina, Akhmed and the others at the Hospital in Volchansk, Chechnya.
This novel floats back in forth in time, narrating events that happened and set in place the current narrative dilemmas.  It is a great read and even though it presents some of the darkest moments of war and treachery it also presents great self sacrifice and love.  It holds dear the promise of youth and the honoring of the elders something I find reassuring in this time that seems to split us up by age bracket.

The Weight of Ink, by Rachel Kadish is also extremely timely.  Set both during modern times and during the time of the plague in London, it explores the discovery of a cache (genizah) of letters and writings a Rabbi living in London during the time of the 1665-1666 plague.  The story pivots between modern London and the efforts of the modern historians to translate these documents before they get taken away alongside the narrative of the Rabbi's household and the woman Ester Velasquez who acts as the Rabbi's scribe under the nom de plume Aleph (to protect the Rabbi's reputation and her identity as a woman)  It is such a great read because it explores the Jewish diaspora throughout Europe during this time, the role of women in society, the cross current of ideas at the beginning of the modern world, current issues about academic struggles, with a couple of romantic twists in the plot as well.  Looking back at it now, the most eerie sections are those that deal with London during the plague.  Especially riveting are the observations of the Jewish women ( a culture clash too with one being Ashkenazim and the other Sephardi)   trying to maintain the Rabbi's household while the city spirals into chaos, hatred, and violence.  What do marginalized people do during times of great peril?  How do they band together, stay human and compassionate and survive?  This book is long, but I was transported back and forth in the plot lines and totally engaged until I finished it.
     I realize so much that fiction sometimes helps me look at the world from the vantage point of other people and I learn so much from the author's skill at mapping out the varied human responses to life as it rolls out.  These two novels have given me much to think about and hope that the human capacity to reach out and care for others will endure during this time of plague.