The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon

Richard Zimler

The life of a Jew in early 16th Century Portugal is less than ideal, forced to convert to Christianity and known as New Christians, they are persecuted and very much treated as lesser beings. Things come to a height when the Old Christian inhabitants in Lisbon riot and start murdering any New Christians they can find.

On the night of the riots, against this chaotic backdrop, a strange murder occurs. An old and well respected kabbalist is found dead, locked in a sealed room with a young woman. Both are naked. His nephew discovers the bodies, in their place of concealment, a room hidden beneath the floorboards of his house where a New Christian group holds secret meetings. Berekiah, a kabbalist in training and apprentice to his murdered uncle, takes it upon himself to find the truth behind the murders.

This is much a novel exploring its historical backdrop as it is a murder mystery, and is interesting in both respects. Told as the reminiscence of an old man, it really manages to bring 16th Century Lisbon to life, exploring an unpleasant moment in history, and showing how a group of people struggled to hold on to their identity and survive in a world where brutality can intervene at any moment. The murder mystery itself is skillfully put together, several threads weaving together, inexorably leading towards the truth. Each step forward giving further insight into the complex secret society in which the story takes place, as well as either exposing or reflecting away from the true reasons behind the murder.

The closer Berekiah gets towards the truth, the more dangerous things become, and there is a genuine sense of tension that builds towards the end of the novel. Where the chilling reasons behind a statement at the beginning of the reminiscence is revealed, one that has political echoes beyond the confines of the 16th Century.