The Healer's Touch by Amber Schamel

Aaliya, Overcome, Rise Above the meaning of her name is the protagonist of this new book The Healer's Touch by Amber Schamel. 

In this moment so terrible, so horrifying for the entire humanity, a lucid analysis of what it meant leprosy in the old times and in the specific in Galilea when Jesus was operating.

Tyrus is the husband of Aaliya. The story starts during the Passover, the feast celebrating Moses who led people out of Egypt.  Malon is their only son. He is 6 years old. During the meal the story of the tenth plague, when the Angel of Death passed over the land of Egypt killing the first born in the land. Israelites escaped this punishment thanks to what told them to do by Moses. Aaliya was deeply in love with her husband, although the husband considered her just a thing and a contract. Aaliya falls ill. Her face appears changed. Her arms are not anymore normals. Her husband tells her of not touching anything till at the arrival of the doctor for a best diagnosys. Diagnosys was leprosy a terrible illness without any kind of cure. Tytus, her husband, think that this one is the punishment for her unloyalty, but Aaliya refuses this kind of explanation. She is innocent. She acted according God's Law.

Abandoned by her husband, her final destination is the leper community distant from the city. Her new friend is a lady called Meira. Lonely and unclean the new status of Aaliya who will be forced to see what it means having leprosy or assisting other people in need like a poor child and his mother. Children devastated by illness were part of the colony. At first, Aaliya, new in the colony felt a terrible feeling seeing them in this state, assisting at numerous departures, and also, assisting at the decadence of her own body and the one closing to her. 

A rabbi brought to the colony the food they needed. 

Sufferances were many and hopes to see the light after the darkness quiet impossible. Aaliya tried also to see again her husband and son but it wasn't a good meeting at all. At the end a friend of her suggested her of seeing Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah so waited...

Beautiful, terrible, it is a quick reading this one although it will leave you with a sensation of hope and new beginnings.

I thank Amber Schemal for this ebook.

Anna Maria Polidori