Incantation, By Alice Hoffman

The story here is based on a young-woman coming of age during the Spanish Inquisition. Hoffman tells a short but powerful story of how Estrella de Madrigal discovered that she is a Jew rather than a Catholic and how your best friend is not always as she appears.

The writing is almost poetic. The titles of the sections and chapters within each are apocryphal. Days latter I am still considering Hoffman's intent.

I'm thrilled that Hoffman has turned to a slightly different genre. I am a big fan of some of her books, but felt that sometimes she stays with a theme too long. This is a wonderful change, bringing her ability to bring mystical overtones to strong plots in believable ways.

This is a book I will be recommending for a long time. It will be a nice companion piece to works like The Crucible.