The Convert

In this finalist for the 2020 National Jewish Book Awards, esteemed author Stefan Hertmans crafts a gripping historical fiction narrative centered around Vigdis Adelaïs, a young medieval noblewoman who forsakes her privileged life for love. Set against the backdrop of eleventh-century France, her romance with David Todros, the son of a rabbi, propels them on a perilous escape from her father's knights and into the tumult of the First Crusade. As their journey unfolds, Vigdis faces unimaginable challenges and a desperate quest to reunite with her lost children, intertwining her fate with a world swept by chaos and intolerance. Based on fragments from the Cairo Genizah, Hertmans masterfully intertwines fact and fiction to illuminate a poignant tale of love and resilience.