Posted by Leslie Pratch; written by Mark Johnson
In fiction, ambition is admirable. At least, it’s necessary. Nobody is interested in characters who don’t aspire to anything.
But there’s a point—and don’t we know it, surrounded by the flotsam and jetsam of burst ambition?—at which we may do for success what we would never do for love or conscience. Here we encounter evil.
In “The Coffee Trader,” David Liss creates a 17th century Amsterdam to compare with the 18th century London of his first historical novel, “A Conspiracy of Paper.” He not only brings the teeming city to riotous and entertaining life; he also lets us share the giddy energy of a place that at a particular moment seems to be the center of the universe, like Silicon Valley in the 1990s.
In 1659, Amsterdam was the financial capital of Europe, a free-wheeling center for trade and speculation. For better or worse, it was the cradle of today’s stock market.
Amsterdam speculators were also about to lead Europe into a craze for an exotic, little-known drink from the East with almost magical powers—coffee.
Could any drink be more symbolic of modern commerce? Isn’t the day trader’s drug of choice still caffeine? Our protagonist, expat Portuguese Jew Miguel Lienzo, is persuaded by shady woman-about-town Geertruid Damhuis, who sees an opportunity to make a killing with her money and his connections:
“Beer and wine may make a man sleepy, but coffee will make him awake and clearheaded. Beer and wine may make a man amorous, but coffee will make him lose interest in the flesh. The man who drinks coffee fruit cares only for his business. …Coffee is the drink of commerce.”
Miguel, facing ruin after a series of bad investments, grasps the opportunity. But he has problems. The Dutch practice religious tolerance, but the Portuguese Jews in Amsterdam do not. They must follow strict religious and social rules. They are, among other things, forbidden to partner in business with the Dutch. Their ruling council, the Ma’amad, imposes draconian punishments on Jews who do not toe the line. The Ma’amad is not above employing spies and informants; and Miguel’s worst enemy, financier Solomon Parido, is on that council.
Miguel is already on thin ice with the Ma’amad, and, to make matters worse, among his enemies is his own brother, Daniel, a business partner of Parido’s.
Liss is a master of intrigue and complication. Miguel is half in love with Geertruid, but she lies to him, is far from trustworthy, and will not sleep with him. He is also half in love with Daniel’s wife, Hannah, but he won’t sleep with her. He is not in love with Hannah’s pretty, sluttish maid, Annetje, but he does sleep with her. She is the pay of another, however, and is least trustworthy of all.
Miguel is also allied with the disgraced yet powerful usurer Alonzo Alferonda, who is pulling strings of his own, to what end we do not know. And there is a host of minor characters of variable and purchasable allegiance.
Miguel’s scheme to corner the continental coffee market is worthy of Paul Newman and Robert Redford in “The Sting,” but it careens off in unpredicted directions. Liss’s depiction of the Amsterdam stock market in full cry is thrilling. There are perhaps a couple of plot turns too many; even sharpened with caffeine, the reader’s brain reels.
Along the way, Liss may seem to be seduced by his characters’ charm and energy. Be assured that he is not. There will be a reckoning for all they do along the road to riches or ruin. This is not the light-hearted caper novel it appears to be, and the ending is served without cream or sugar.
Posted by Leslie Pratch; written by Mark Johnson
The final copy of this review was originally published in the San Jose Mercury Times.
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Leslie Pratch, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist from Northwestern University with an M.B.A. in Strategy and Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a B.A. in Religion from Williams College. She works with boards of directors and private equity investors to select and develop executives. She can be reached at (312) 464-7919, leslie@pratchco.com, or visit her at www.pratchco.com.
Mark Johnson is a retired book reviewer for the San Jose Mercury Times.
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