David Liss' dark novel The Day of Atonement (#683) is set in eighteenth century Lisbon. Sebastiao Raposa is only thirteen when he is spirited out of Portugal by his father's friend, an English merchant, after his parents are arrested by the Inquisition. Now Sebastiao is in his twenties and ready to extract vengeance on the Jesuit priest responsible for their deaths.
Posing as Sebastian Foxx, a young English merchant ready to take Lisbon by storm, he returns to Portugal with deadly secrets. All he wants is to accomplish his vendetta and be done. Fate has a way of interfering with his grim plans. His conscience and his inbred integrity keep imposing tasks to protect the interests of those both innocent and not. Just when it seems Sebastian has his goal within his grasp, nature once again intervenes.
This book paints such a dark picture of Lisbon and its denizens, it might not be the best book to read before visiting the city, but its intimate descriptions of the place and how it was effected by the 1755 earthquake and ensuing tsunami made me see the modern city in an entirely different light.
Likewise, Sebastian is a multi-layered character, revealed by adversity. Something a little different in the world of historical fiction, and worth the time to read.
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