Another Me
In this YA historical fantasy, one of Wiseman’s teenaged narrators is an ibbur, a figure described in Hebrew kabbalistic writings as a deceased soul who possesses the body of a living human in order to right a great wrong. In this case, Natan, the son of a rag-seller in 13th century Strasbourg, France, has been murdered as part of a plot to blame the city’s Jews for an outbreak of the Plague; finding himself suddenly in the body of a Christian apprentice, he realizes he is charged with attempting to stop the impending massacre of his community. Natan’s fate is complicated by the fact that the apprentice works for a compassionate gentile draper, the father of his beloved, Elena.
Wiseman has created a fascinating situation and vividly but economically conveys the fear and paranoia of medieval life, alongside the joys of young love. The novel divides the first-person narrative between Natan and Elena, who bravely accepts the fact that her handsome suitor is now a ghost occupying the body of a boy she finds repellant, and also that the fate of Strasbourg’s Jews depends on her ability to befriend both communities. The pace is quick but Natan and Elena have emotionally believable reactions to their uncanny situation. Ultimately, the tale may be too grim for young readers – anti-Semitic violence and detailed descriptions of death by Plague aren’t the traditional stuff of middle-grade fare – and not philosophical enough for readers who really want to know more about Judaic lore. However, Wiseman, an award-winning Canadian author, has turned a little-known moment in history into a thoughtful, humane page-turner.
