Engrossing quest across time

• Book: Zahara and the Lost Books of Light
• Location: Seattle, Spain
• Author: Joyce Yarrow

Review Author: Carol LaHines

Alienor Crispo is a Seattle journalist on a quest to learn about her forbears. She has Vijitas, the gift of second sight, and is privy to the memories of female ancestors like heroic great-aunt Luzia who married a Muslim and remained in Spain following WWII, and Jariya al-Qasam, who lived during the Inquisition. When Alienor learns that the Spanish government is granting citizenship to the descendants of the Sephardim, she travels to the Continent. Upon arrival, she is embroiled in present-day intrigues centering around the murder of her cousin Carlos and the fate of his mother Pilar, as well as more ancient mysteries concerning Zahara, a library of lost books salvaged in the aftermath of the Inquisition that attest to the existence of Convivencia, or philosophy of peaceful coexistence, in medieval Spain. As the novel progresses and it appears the library itself is endangered, the guardians of the sacred library must determine whether to continue in secrecy in perpetuity or whether it is time to share their revered wisdom with the world.
Zahara is a quest across time, a search for family and metaphysical roots, a tribute to the power of books to preserve history and transmit knowledge across generations. The shared inheritance of the Crespo matriarchs – the visions that link them across generations – impart wisdom that endures despite the passage of centuries.

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