Ballad and Dagger

A pirate, A Rabbi and a Santero walk into a club. Sound like a bad joke? Possibly. But it is also the start of an excellent book. Daniel José Older’s YA fantasy, Ballad & Dagger, follows the exiled fictional community of Little Madrigal as it tries to reestablish itself in Brooklyn after the island of Madrigal sinks. As a fellow denizen of Brooklyn, I found myself wishing that Little Madrigal was real. Because an island nation founded by a Sephardic Rabbi, a Santero and a pirate who all happened to wash up on the same shores together sounds like my idea of a good time.

The reader views the community through the eyes of Matteo Matisse, an insider that feels like an outside thanks to his frequent trips abroad with his physician parents and the healthy dose of skepticism gifted to him by his parents reliance on science over the traditional community magic and lore. All of that is thrown into doubt when Matteo, currently living with his Aunt – a staunch Santero and community leader – finds out he is way more involved in community matters than he thought he was. And that this places his life in considerable danger.

As an aspiring musician, Matteo has always experienced the community through the music he shares. As the book progresses Matteo also himself opens up to the various other parts of Madrigal culture. And let me tell you, Madrigal culture is nothing to be sneezed at. Combining pirate, Santero and Sephardic Jewish traditions, this is a whirlwind tour of identity and intersectionality, both communal and personal. It was incredibly moving to watch Matteo finally take his place within this framework.

On a personal note, when Matteo receives praise for his rendition of “Aneinu” I found myself clutching the book with white knuckled hands and singing the familiar melody to myself. A family favorite, we are all singing this song for weeks after the high holidays and I would have loved to hear Matteo’s version.

The richness with which this world is described, as well as the care taken during Matteo’s journey to find his true purpose in it, is exemplary. It was so gripping that I would have been content even if the book had no plot. Although readers can rest assured, the book is chock full of plot. Including secret pirate cabals, a scheme to raise the fallen island, mistaken identity and magical creatures.

The beauty of Judaism to me has always been encapsulated in the phrase “we contain multitudes”, Parts of this book, especially when Matteo teams up with the Rabbi’s daughter Chela, felt so incredibly familiar. Others were completely new. They were all equally vivid and rewarding. This is the kind of book that entertains while it broadens horizons. I eagerly await the next installment.

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E Broderick is a writer and speculative fiction enthusiast. When not writing she enjoys epic games of trivial pursuit and baking. She currently lives in the U.S. but is eagerly awaiting the day a sentient spaceship offers to take her traveling around the galaxy.