“For in the biting hush of ink on paper, where truth ought raise its head and speak without fear, I have long lied.”

At the very beginning of the novel, part of Ester’s final document (the confession she writes shortly before she dies) is excerpted as the Prologue. In this document, Ester reflects on how she has lived a life marked by hiding and secrets; only as she approaches death can she take the risk of being fully honest. These lines, when presented without context in the Prologue, create the tone of mystery and suspense that will dominate much of the novel. It takes a long time for Helen and Aaron to uncover Ester’s story, but they become enthralled by the mystery.

“What was she doing here across the table from them, then? What had drawn a non-Jewish woman of her generation to this obscure life as a specialist in Jewish studies?”

This quotation occurs early in the novel, when Helen tells Ian and Bridgette that she is not Jewish, and can see that they are surprised. The quotation sets up a key plot point that will drive some of the conflict of the plot: Does Helen’s lack of Jewish identity make her less deserving of studying Jewish history and of telling Ester’s story? The quotation also establishes suspense about Helen’s own backstory, so that the mystery of her past and how she came to be interested in Jewish history becomes a mystery that parallels Ester’s history.