Ahoti: A Story of Tamar
The Old Testament story of Princess Tamar, the only named daughter of the powerful King David, gets a fresh and expanded treatment from Vamosh and Everson in this tale of tragedy, intrigue, healing, and hope. Tamar, young, beautiful, and a healer and diviner of dreams, has troubling dreams which confuse and frighten her. Raised in the royal palace, she is desired by the brutish Amnon, her father’s oldest son and heir, and is tricked into visiting Amnon’s supposed sickbed. Violated and cruelly cast out by Amnon, she is taken in by her brother Absalom.
Concern about her fate causes her to travel in secret to Gibeon, to her paternal grandmother, who advises her not to hide and suffer but to live with Absalom, bide her time, and discover her true enemies. She returns to her brother’s home, but in a nightmarish twist, Tamar is betrayed by Absalom, made a scapegoat and then accused of being complicit in a plot to challenge the royal succession. Forced to flee Jerusalem and create a new identity, she experiences years of hardship, pain, and longing as she perfects her calling as a healer and searches for answers.
The authors weave a colorful, dramatic, and engrossing story, using a nice blend of accurate historical detail, Jewish folklore, and biblical sources to bring their characters to quick life: King David, the exiled queen Maacah, the scheming Absalom, the faithful maid Mara, the seers Nathan and Gad, the crippled Mephibosheth, and the ever-watchful Bathsheba. Tamar is a sympathetic character whose courage, faith, and will to survive political upheaval, judicial murders, and personal humiliation lead her ultimately to the palace of King Solomon and an unexpected redemption.
