Book Review: The Gilded Chamber: A Novel of Queen Esther

by Rebecca Kohn (New York: Penguin Group, 2005)

Lavish meals...exotic beauty treatments...fine clothes and jewelry...choreographed rituals...lush gardens. A life of pampered luxury or court debauchery? The Gilded Chamber transports the reader back to the fifth century B.C., into the Persian capital of Susa, behind the palace walls of the monarch and deep inside the courts of his harem.

Based on the Hebrew version of the biblical book of Esther, the novel recounts the story of Hadassah, a Jewish orphan and ward of her cousin, Mordecai. She is among the young, unmarried women captured by the king's soldiers to become one of King Xerxes' many concubines. To protect her Jewish identity, she is advised by her cousin to adopt a Babylonian name, Esther. As a concubine, her beauty and intelligence set her apart, and she gains the king's favor and is chosen to become his queen.

The novel is written in first person, with the voice of Esther describing in meticulous detail the elaborate grooming and petty jealousies that occupy a concubine's listless days. These "pampered prisoners" are groomed for the king's pleasure and forever confined to living behind the palace walls. Upon her arrival at Susa, Esther describes "the harem of Xerxes as a place of living death."

While the narrative follows the biblical story line, the novel employs a number of embellishments (and departures from the biblical text) to engage the reader and give the story a sensuous tone. Much of the novel stays within the confines of the palace and focuses on day-to-day harem life. In a departure from the biblical text several concubines become significant characters in Esther's life; the king's eunuchs, Hegai and Hathach, are given prominent roles, and even the banished Queen Vashti makes a surprise re-appearance. However, the most significant departure is the portrayal of Mordecai as Esther's true love interest and her yearning for the day when she can become his wife.

True to the biblical account, the king's chief advisor, Haman, is the villain of the story. Mordecai's refusal to bow to him sets in motion Haman's plot to destroy the Jewish people, but with Mordecai's urging, Esther courageously intervenes and saves her people.

As described in the Hebrew biblical account, the novel depicts Esther calling for a three-day fast in preparation for her audience with the king on behalf of her people, but she also prays to God for mercy and courage, an indication that the author is familiar with the Greek version of the story which includes an entire chapter devoted to Esther's prayer.

The author creates her own ambiguous ending to the story, one not based on any biblical evidence but on inspired legend and on what she claims to be true events. I believe readers will find the ending both exciting and intriguing.

The Gilded Chamber is well written and easy to read. It evidences thorough research with regard to historical detail about Zoroastrianism, the political organization of life during the Persian Empire, and the customs, dress, and elaborate preparations of ancient Persian women at court. Most women will very likely enjoy this book.

What I found disconcerting was the author's undue focus on Esther's sexuality. Mordecai, who is also a hero in the biblical story, is never developed into a character in the novel with any depth. I was hoping that the author would bring out this character's own inner struggle surrounding his piety and the risk of compromising his position at court if he were exposed as a Jew. And I was left wondering what his feelings may have been toward Esther. Was she truly his beloved?

Reviewer: Dorothea Colligan

 

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