Although Ruth Behar’s historical fiction novel for middle grade readers is titled Across So Many Seas, the author could just as easily have named it Across So Many Generations. Set in four locations over multiple centuries and following the lives of four twelve-year-old girls, Across So Many Seas tells the story of the Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492. The first segment is told from Benvenida’s viewpoint and captures a time when the high arts, such as reading, writing poetry, and singing sacred prayers in the synagogue were left to men. Still, Benvenida seeks freedom and autonomy. Her mother encourages her to “always live the truth of who you are, not the falsehood that others wish to force upon you” (50).
Nevertheless, during the Spanish Inquisition, Jews were forced to choose: give up their religion and cultural practices in favor of Catholicism or flee the country. Bound for Naples and then Constantinople, the family struggles to find a place of belonging.
Years later, the story picks up in 1923 in Turkey. Reina is living through the upheaval of Turkey becoming a republic. Rebelling against gender conformity, she falls out of her father’s favor and is sent to Cuba to take care of an aunt in failing health. Arranged by her father, Reina will marry when she is 15.
In 1961, Alegra is living through the revolution led by Fidel Castro. Proud of her Spanish roots and believing that progress depends on education, Alegra joins Castro’s literacy campaign as a brigadista. Fascinated by the prospect of her work, she will teach people in the countryside how to read and write. A visionary, Alegra wishes to “share the riches we have here in [Havana] so all Cubans can live well” (125). Although she hopes to one day continue performing the incredible work of teaching others to read and write, her work is cut short when she has to return home and immigrate to Miami, Florida.
In 2003, Paloma is in Miami “coming to terms with all the history that precedes her, both her father’s Afro-Cuban side and her mother’s Sephardic-Cubin side. Paloma’s story is meant to break the cycle of departures; [therefore], her story is about return” (242).
Tied together by history, stories, songs, and religion, the extended family works through their gloom and loss by cultivating and maintaining connections to the past. Behar writes: “The past is a lost country. You can only imagine it, like a dream” (223). However, the past also defines who we are. Behar expertly and exquisitely weaves a tapestry that connects the girls across the sea as well as across the ages in order to unravel the mysteries of the past. An oud plays a role in maintaining that history and serves as a cohesive device in the novel. Readers will likely find the novel intriguing, with all of its history, culture, and cuisine. Its surprise ending further reminds us of life’s mysteries.
- Donna