After Ana informs Yaltha of Chaya’s death, Yaltha is consumed by grief. She spends days staring blankly into the garden. One night, Ana has a vivid dream of flying scrolls filling the sky like birds, and the falcon goddess Nephthys streaks across the heavens. The dream feels significant, reminding her of the locked box in her uncle Haran’s study, as if the goddess on the box has come to life and is setting hidden truths free.
Chapter 76: A Dream of Flying Scrolls
The dream reminds Ana of Thaddeus’s comment that filing a death notice for a child is legal but rare. She starts questioning why Haran would take such an unusual step, especially since Chaya’s supposed death at age two occurred soon after Yaltha was exiled from Alexandria. A sense of urgency and suspicion grows, and Ana decides to examine the contents of Haran’s secret box again.
Chapter 77: The Second Scroll
Ana finds Thaddeus in the scriptorium and insists on seeing the locked box. Thaddeus, wary of Haran’s servant, hesitates, but Ana convinces him to take her to the study. Inside the box, Ana finds nine scrolls. The first two are legal documents related to Haran’s divorce from his second wife.
The third document is a bill of sale. It records that a camel keeper named Choiak sold his two-year-old daughter, Diodora, to a priest of the Temple of Isis for 1,400 silver drachmae. Ana retrieves Chaya’s death certificate and places the two documents side by side. The dates are eerily similar: two-year-old Chaya died in the same month and year that two-year-old Diodora was sold into slavery. The connection is too strong to be a coincidence, and Ana begins to understand the terrible truth Haran has concealed.
Chapter 78: The Same Girl
Ana wakes Yaltha to share the news. She explains her dream and the discovery of the second scroll, pointing out the suspicious parallels between Chaya and Diodora. Yaltha immediately understands, stating, “They are the same girl.” Ana theorizes that Haran sold Chaya into slavery and filed a false death notice to cover his crime. Selling a Jewish child into slavery was a grave offense that would have resulted in his expulsion from the synagogue council and the community.
Yaltha confirms that Haran is capable of such cruelty. She explains that Haran’s lie about Chaya being adopted was a calculated act of psychological torture, designed to haunt her with the endless pain of a child who is lost but not gone. Their hope is tempered by disappointment when they realize the scroll doesn’t name the priest or the temple, making the task of finding Chaya seem impossible. Still, Yaltha finds comfort in the belief that her daughter is alive, fueling her The Search for Self and Personal Longing for her lost child.
Chapter 79: Sweet Freedom
Ana is summoned to Haran’s study. Fearing he has discovered her snooping, she is relieved when he informs her that he is waiving their rent requirement, making them his "guests." He announces he will be away for four weeks on business but warns that if Ana or Yaltha leave the house during his absence, they will forfeit their right to stay, and he will renew the murder charge against Ana. He has instructed his treasurer, Apion, to watch them.
Despite the threat, Ana sees Haran's absence not as continued imprisonment but as an opportunity. The four weeks without his direct oversight represent a window of "sweet, sweet, sweet freedom," a chance to act on their new knowledge and search for Chaya.
Chapter 80: The Great Library and a Confession
Ana tells Yaltha about Haran’s departure. Yaltha immediately devises a plan: they must find Apollonios, Apion’s father and Haran’s former treasurer, who would have been privy to the deception. Ana confronts Apion, using the bribes she paid him as leverage to ensure he will look the other way while they are out. After a tense exchange where Apion confronts Ana about her earlier lie of being pregnant, he agrees and tells her his father can be found among the scholars at the Great Library.
Ana, Yaltha, and their servant Lavi venture into the vibrant streets of Alexandria. Ana is awestruck by the city and overwhelmed upon reaching the Great Library, which she calls a "holy of holies." Inside, she is filled with reverence for the vast collection of knowledge but also a "tiny lump of anger" at the realization that nearly all of it was written by men, a stark representation of the theme of Feminism and Women's Voices.
They find Apollonios, now an old man. Yaltha confronts him, and he confesses his role in the deception. Burdened by guilt, he reveals the truth: Haran sold Chaya to a priest at the temple of Isis Medica in Alexandria. The priest later freed her, and she still serves there under the name Diodora. As they are leaving, Yaltha shrewdly leverages Apollonios’s guilt to secure a librarian apprenticeship for Lavi. Apollonios agrees. Lavi, who had claimed to read Greek to secure the position, then quietly asks Ana to teach him, revealing his determination to build a new life.
Key Events
- A Prophetic Dream: Ana's dream sparks suspicion about Chaya's death.
- The Bill of Sale: Ana discovers a bill of sale for a girl named Diodora, sold around the time of Chaya's death.
- Haran's Absence: Haran leaves, providing an opportunity for investigation.
- Leveraging Apion: Ana blackmails Apion to ensure their freedom of movement.
- The Great Library: Ana visits the library, grappling with its male-dominated scholarship.
- Apollonios's Confession: Apollonios confesses Haran's crime and reveals Chaya's whereabouts.
- Lavi's Opportunity: Yaltha secures an apprenticeship for Lavi.
Character Development
- Ana: She trusts her intuition and uses her intelligence to uncover the truth. Her visit to the library strengthens her feminist beliefs.
- Yaltha: She transforms from grief to action, seeking her daughter and securing Lavi's future.
- Haran: His cruelty is solidified as he is willing to sell his niece and torture his sister.
- Apollonios: He is burdened by guilt and seeks atonement by confessing.
- Lavi: He desires a better life and shows ambition by seeking Ana's help to learn Greek.
Themes & Symbols
Themes
- Feminism and Women's Voices: Ana's visit to the Great Library highlights the exclusion of women from scholarship. Uncovering Haran's deception reclaims Chaya's silenced story.
- The Search for Self and Personal Longing: Yaltha's longing for her daughter drives the narrative, transforming from pain to a quest for reunion.
Symbols
- The Great Library: It symbolizes knowledge and intellectual achievement but also patriarchal exclusion.
- Scrolls: They represent hidden truths, used to both conceal and reveal.
- Nephthys: The goddess is a guide and figure of revelation, foreshadowing the discovery that Chaya is alive.
Key Quotes
“They are the same girl.”
Yaltha's immediate recognition of the truth underscores her deep connection to her daughter and her intuitive understanding of Haran's capacity for cruelty. This moment marks a turning point, shifting the narrative from suspicion to certainty.
“sweet, sweet, sweet freedom”
Ana's exclamation captures the sense of liberation and opportunity that Haran's departure provides. It highlights the oppressive nature of his control and the characters' yearning for autonomy.
Significance
This section marks a turning point as the mystery of Chaya's fate is solved, shifting the focus to action. Haran's departure grants agency, and his cruelty elevates him to a true villain. Securing a position for Lavi begins building a support network outside Haran's household.
Analysis
Sue Monk Kidd uses symbolism and foreshadowing effectively. Ana's dream of Nephthys blends logic and intuition, aligning with the novel's exploration of spirituality. Dramatic irony is present as Haran's absence allows Ana and Yaltha to dismantle his lies. The scene in the Great Library juxtaposes awe and anger, encapsulating Ana's desire to participate in a world not designed for her. The chapters affirm the power of written records, reinforcing the importance of Ana's "book of longings."