Kantika

Published in 2023, Elizabeth Graver’s Kantika is an adult historical fiction novel. This multigenerational saga traces the journey of a Sephardic Jewish family led by the indomitable Rebecca Cohen from their affluent beginnings in early 20th-century Istanbul through displacements to Barcelona, Havana, and finally New York. The novel won a National Jewish Book Award, an Association of Jewish Libraries Fiction Award, and the Edward Lewis Wallant Award. It explores themes of displacement, cultural preservation, and women’s strength.

This study guide refers to the e-book edition released by Metropolitan Books in 2023.

Content Warning: The source material contains depictions of antisemitism, child loss, infertility, xenophobia, wartime violence, genocide, and ableism.

Plot Summary

In 1902, Rebecca Cohen is born into a large and prosperous Sephardic Jewish family living in Constantinople. Her father, Alberto, owns a textile factory, and her mother, Sultana, is involved in local charitable efforts. The second of six siblings, Rebecca is a creative and active child who loves to sing, draw, and sew. Her best friend is a girl named Lika who looks so much like her that they are sometimes mistaken for twins. Alberto divorced his first wife, Djentil Nahon, after she was unable to bear children. Rebecca and Lika often visit Djentil to listen to her stories, but they stop after the lonely woman’s desperation for their company begins to alarm them.