Although Alice Hoffman is a popular author, The Dovekeepers
is the first of her novels that I have read. I was drawn to her
subject--the tragedy of Masada--because of our recent trip to Israel
where we visited that site.
Hoffman
was also inspired by her visit to Israel and to Masada. Although the
story is pure fiction, it rests on a solid historical foundation. While
reading it I was constantly reminded of our own tour of Masada and the
desolate land that surrounds it. Anyone who has had that experience will
find themselves reliving it as they read the book.
The
Dovekeepers is told from the point of view of four women narrators who
are living in the Masada fortress as the Roman legions are encamped
around them preparing to storm their defenses and quell their rebellion.
The women have been assigned to care for the dovecotes--a vital task
because the dove's waste becomes the fertilizer that causes their plants
to grow and thrive in the salty desert.
Themes
of the story include the spirituality of silence, the brutality of men,
devotion to God, the life-giving force of women and the persistent
appeal of pagan mystical practices.
It's
that last theme that has brought Hoffman the most criticism. Several
Jewish reviewers took great exception to the prominent role given to
devotion to Ashtoreth and the consistent emphasis on magic expressed by
the key characters.
I
wasn't perturbed by this until I reached the last part of the book
where the narrator is the Witch of Moab. At this point the mysticism
became tedious and I began skimming over it. In an afterword Hoffman
lists a couple of books on Jewish magic as sources for her writing along
with several historical works.
Although
I tired of this theme by the end of the novel, I think it is
believable. The characters in the story live in the late first century
AD. Each of the narrators are women who are not completely accepted by
the main Hebrew community--they are outsiders and have a different point
of view from the more orthodox Jews. Whenever people face grave danger
that they are powerless against, like the Roman legions, it is always
tempting to fall back on "magical thinking" as a way of exerting control
over your circumstances.
And after all, Hoffman wrote a popular novel Practical Magic (which I have not read), so the reader should not be surprised by the incorporation of this theme.
The Dovekeepers
is well written and the four major characters are complex and well
developed. Women readers with a background in the history of Masada
and/or the experience of visiting it will enjoy reading the book. I'm
not sure men would like it because there are really no admirable male
characters in the story.
