The Book of Longings

Ana and Yaltha arrive in the port city of Alexandria. The city overwhelms Ana. Aware of the lingering suspicions that Yaltha was responsible for the death of her husband, Haran, Ana’s uncle (Yaltha’s brother) demands money to accept them, which Ana pays. Over the next several months, Ana and Yaltha settle into Haran’s house. Despite their confinement, both Ana and Yaltha want to secure information about Yaltha’s daughter. Ana, who finds work within Alexandria’s massive records-keeping bureaucracy known as the scriptorium, begins to search for records of Yaltha’s daughter. Meanwhile, Ana resumes her writing, working again on writing the narratives of forgotten Old Testament women. She is restless because she has no word from Judas about whether it is safe to return.

Informants tell Ana that John the Immerser has been executed on the orders of Herod’s new wife. Lavi also relays news of the emergence of a new prophet, a charismatic preacher who castigates the rich and blesses the poor. Ana knows in her heart this is her husband.

Meanwhile, Ana finds records that indicate Yaltha’s daughter had been sold in slavery and was now living under the name Diodora. But where the girl is now is complicated.