The Ruby in Her Navel by Barry Unsworth - 4.5 stars (Steeplechase, BWF)

[Joy D]

The Ruby in Her Navel by Barry Unsworth - 4.5* - My Review

Set in the year 1149 in Palermo, Sicily during the reign of King Roger, protagonist Thurstan Beauchamp is a young man working in the Diwan of Control, the financial arm of the palace. Thurstan is the son of a Norman knight and a Saxon mother. His father donated all his wealth to the church, leaving Thurstan to bemoan his loss of status. He works under Yusuf Ibn Mansur, the leader of the Diwan of Control, who becomes a mentor to young Thurstan. The Pope and Bishop of Rome have refused to recognize King Roger. Both the ruler of the West, Conrad Hohenstaufen, and the ruler of the East, Manuel Comnenus, are threatening to invade. Palermo has always been tolerant to ethnic communities, but these recent power struggles have led to conflicts among Christians, Jews, Muslims, and others. The storyline is a complex combination of power struggles, deceits, betrayals, and coming-of-age.

Narrator Thurstan tells the tale of how the woman with the ruby in her navel became a legend. He alone knows the full story. It is obvious that Thurstan is a young man who values integrity; however, circumstances and machinations of others will put him into moral dilemmas. His mentor, Yusuf, is willing to help Thurstan become a man of substance and influence, but this relationship is also placed in jeopardy. One of Thurstan’s roles is to travel through Europe finding entertainments. He also acquires various supplies for the kingdom. While seeking herons to be used in hunting games, he discovers a group of five dancers, including Nesrin, a belly dancer of prodigious talent, and hires them to travel back to Palermo to perform for the King. He is attracted to Nesrin, but this attraction is sidelined when he meets his former great love, Lady Alicia, while on these travels. She has recently become a widow and is interested in renewing their relationship.

Obviously, it is difficult to succinctly summarize this book. It is a story of the idealism of youth shattered by power struggles that find Thurstan caught in the middle. It is beautifully written and provides a wonderful sense of time and place in 12th century Palermo. Thurstan is a likeable narrator, and the reader will want to warn him before he takes rash actions. It is a mystery with many threads, and requires close attention to follow them all. I found myself completely engrossed in it. I had previously read Unsworth's Morality Play, which motivated me to pick this one up, and I am very glad I did.

4.5

PBT Steeplechase - tagged "middle ages" x6:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...

PBT June BWF Extra R/U and tagged "europe" x6:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...