Books Set in Asia; Pegu

The Jewel Trader of Pegu, by Jeffrey Hantover (2008)

 

In the late 1500s, Abraham, a young, widowed Jewish trader, traveled from the ghetto of Venice to seek jewels in Southeast Asia to send back to his uncle in Italy.  He traveled to Pegu, a kingdom in Burma, where he encounters a way of life vastly different from the one in which he grew up.  The novel is written mostly in letter form that Abraham sends to his cousin in Venice.  Abraham describes the lush jungle of Pegu and the people and the customs, as well as his struggles with keeping up his religious practices.

 

He found that the local people are tolerant of foreigners, and he resides in a house that had previously been occupied by another Italian trader.  Abraham is not the only European in Pegu.  Jesuit priest have come to convert the Buddhist to Christianity.  The Jesuits treat Abraham with scorn, but the local population he encounters are tolerant, although somewhat mystified by Abraham’s religious practices.

 

Abraham is fascinated by some of the local customs but is horrified to learn that it is a practice for foreigners to sleep with a bride-to-be on her wedding day, before sleeping with her husband.  Abraham at first resists this honor, but ultimately succumbs to this practice, although not without his coming to grips with his moral dilemma.

 

Young Mya entered the town to marry, but first was given to Abraham.  The next morning, her groom failed to come for her.  He had overindulged the night before and died, leaving Mya a widow.  Abraham allows her to stay in his house, and soon falls in love with her.

 

Abraham works with Win, a local broker, and as they become friends, they discuss their religious and cultural differences.  They respect each other’s differences and form a strong bond, which will help them both during the pending uprising.  Abraham realizes that, as a Jew, he has far more freedom in Pegu than he had in Italy, despite the cruelty of the Peguian king.

 

Pegu and a rival kingdom begin a violent war.  Abraham realizes that he must depart, but not without Mya, whom he as entered into a common-law marriage.  She is pregnant, so he doesn’t want to return to Italy until after the birth of their child.  They depart for deep into the country.  On the journey, Abraham becomes ill and dies, leaving a young, pregnant wife in the care of Win.

 

I enjoyed this novel.  The author provided vivid descriptions of the country as it existed so many years ago.

 

Read:  November 21, 2021

 

4 Stars