This fantasy novel is set in the fascinating Sheba Kingdom and ancient Jerusalem, in an era in which King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba reign.
Just before the death of the Queen of Sheba, Nezem, their granddaughter, inherits the Kumaz, an ornamental piece of jewelry reciprocally interacting with the magnitude of a womanâs inner and outer beauty, and greatly amplifying her characteristics.
Nezem will be able to pursue the Queenâs dream of a society in which all are equalâbut finds an unexpected rival standing in her way. Her non-identical twin sister, Setannah, wants the Kumaz all to herself, to achieve her own missions.
The twinsâ contrasting charactersâreflected through the transactions of the Kumaz with their respective beautyâsoon come to challenge morality itself, encompassing womanhood, family, love, and war. The tension leads to an astounding end, entangling the Kumaz, the Ark of the Covenant, the men dearest to them, and ultimately, the future of their own dream society.
Kumaz is a vital tale for all sisters, telling the story of fraternal twin sistersâ conflicted relationship as each lives up to her own beliefs in relation to what it means to be a woman
This fantasy novel is set in the fascinating Sheba Kingdom and ancient Jerusalem, in an era in which King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba reign.
Just before the death of the Queen of Sheba, Nezem, their granddaughter, inherits the Kumaz, an ornamental piece of jewelry reciprocally interacting with the magnitude of a womanâs inner and outer beauty, and greatly amplifying her characteristics.
Nezem will be able to pursue the Queenâs dream of a society in which all are equalâbut finds an unexpected rival standing in her way. Her non-identical twin sister, Setannah, wants the Kumaz all to herself, to achieve her own missions.
The twinsâ contrasting charactersâreflected through the transactions of the Kumaz with their respective beautyâsoon come to challenge morality itself, encompassing womanhood, family, love, and war. The tension leads to an astounding end, entangling the Kumaz, the Ark of the Covenant, the men dearest to them, and ultimately, the future of their own dream society.
Kumaz is a vital tale for all sisters, telling the story of fraternal twin sistersâ conflicted relationship as each lives up to her own beliefs in relation to what it means to be a woman
All too pallid as she lies cold and fading on her sickbed, the Queen of Sheba awaits the imminent arrival of the royal family. A maidservant quietly takes hold of a warm washcloth and a bowl of now tepid water from the nightstand, gently dabbing at the Queenâs pained face. Her acts are wordlessly overseen by Orah, the Queenâs long-known personal assistant. The Queenâs brow is covered in fine droplets of sweat, yet to touch, her chilled body feels as though all life has already left her. Not a word is said as the maid wipes and pats at her struggling Queenâs clammy, mottled skin.
Her breaths are coming shallow now, her lips dry, both eyes looking dulled and sunken as though she must be dehydrated despite the vessel of fresh water often lifted to her mouth or daubed across her lips by her attentive maid. She cannot swallow; it is too painful.
Heartened by Orahâs compassionate glare, she can only just manage to muster a thought within her clear mind.
And the thought she chooses to indulge is one of endless pride, a pride that is rooted in the fact she has succeeded in building the idealistic and prosperous society in which all are equal, and all are free. A society which she has already passed to her only son.
Every vein in her body, every sinew, every tortured muscle, her sallow and jaundiced skin and the shallowness of her every breath all seem to be hinting her days are numbered now, and that it is time to reveal the secret held for over forty years.
âMother, are you alright?â King Ben-Chakamâs seemingly oblivious voice breaks into the silence as he and his three late adolescent children enter the suite in a terrible hurry.
It is as though he has too much to do. It is a pointlessâthoughtlessâquestion, made only worse when he then utters, âYou look terribly ill this morning.â He glances at his children surrounding the bed, pleased that they are there. âCan the servants bring you some soup?â he asks his mother, briefly taking hold of her trembling hand. âIt will warm you and help you to sit up.â He turns to Orah. âSoup, I say; it will do Mother the world of good.â
He seems to choose to be oblivious to his motherâs true state.
âI am okay, just tired is all,â she manages, raising her head but a few millimeters from the plumped and sweat-laden pillows. She manages to squeeze his hand with weak fingers.
âSee, I said she would be fine,â he insists to whoever is listening.Â
The twenty-year-old fraternal twin granddaughters do not look at all alike, nor do they share the same emotions. There is Nezem, thoughtful and kind, holding back tears. Setannah, suspicious and bold, eyeing her grandmother warily.
âWe are so worried about you. Praying for your health, Grandmama.â
The Queenâs shaky voice and words in response have panicked Nezem too.
 âThank you, dear,â the Queen says with short coughs interspersed, painful-sounding ones. âI look worse today, do I not?â
The three grandchildren look anxious, not knowing how to respond.
Nezem looks away. âGrandmama, as before, soon youâll feel better.â She voices in a hushed tone, moving forward to take her grandmotherâs pale hand. âItâs just a temporary morning sickness.â
She catches Setannahâs eye out of view of the Queen as Setannah quickly shakes her head in a gesture that seems to say, she does not have long. See how bad she looks today.
Now Nezem panics even more.
Her father offers a half-smile of comfort.
âSheâs just had another one of those lovely dreams of hers. Canât you tell?â mutters Setannah, who stands at the other side of the bed. Her seemingly flippant comment earns a sharp gaze from her twenty-two-year-old brother before he lowers his head again.
âBen-Chakam,â says the Queen as she utters her last remarks, âMy son, every day, I hear you are doing just fine, that you are achieving great things. This gives me strength, as does having Ben-Lee, Setannah, and Nezem around me.â Sorrow envelops these morbid words. âI wish your mother, Malkah, could be here. Nevertheless, I feel her spirit with us.â
âPlease donât talk like that,â says Nezem as she wipes a tear. The Queen warmly taps Nezemâs pinked palm, a contrast against her own hue, yet she senses miserable shivering. âI ask for nothing more.â
Hesitating on whether to say more, her mind weighs against it. No matter how much she wants, she cannot be the one who tells the grandchildren the secret.
Her vigorous stare at Ben-Chakam confuses him.
âMother, what is it that you need from us?â He furrows his brow.
âI would like to talk to you. That is all, Ben-Chakam.â
He nods silently and moves to take a seat nearer the bed so he can hold his motherâs hand. She still appears restless and dissatisfied, however. She pauses, turning her tone to commanding.
âAlone, I mean. It must be alone, Ben-Chakam.â
Her sagacious eyes remain glued to Ben-Chakam, readying as the grandchildren kiss her and leave the room.
âBen-Chakam, there is something important I need to tell you. Please, move closer.â
He is already close enough, her pallid palm clamped against his.
âYes, Mother?â He leans in so he can feel her weak breaths on his face, closing the small gap remaining between them. Her stale breaths, heaved with pain, come to his skin. He touches her forehead and nods with satisfaction. No fever. But he is deluding himself. Deep inside, Ben-Chakam knows this is the end for his mother.
She grasps his hand and clasps it as though she will never let go.
âIt pains me you have not found love since Malkah died, bearing the twins. Itâs been twenty years, Ben-Chakam, and you have found no love for the women you find pleasure with.â
âIâve tried.â He turns to the side table adjacent to the bed. âBelieve me, Iâve tried. But Malkah was the love of my life, you know that.â
Peering out the window and concentrating on the sunâs rays entering the room, a sudden rush of blood comes streaming into her creamy cheeks. âI am still amazed by how alike you and I are,â she whispers as she frees her hand from his and traces the outline of his face. âAre you amazed by that too, my Ben-Chakam?â
He nods, a warm smile on his demeanor. He gently strokes her hair.
A trail of ants crossing in and out of the room through the window catches her attention.
âThere are some who come into our lives through the main gate and they instantly lock it behind them because it is so good for us to be held there, together. Yet there are also those who eventually disappear from our lives and instigate us to keep the gate locked afterward; no one is welcome anymore, and no one is coming in.â
Longing makes her eyes cloudy and her lips downturned, just a little.
âMother, you see, you understand me.â
His eyes are drawn to the Queenâs personal wooden box that usually lies behind the bed is not covered by the silk fabric that usually drapes across it.
Since being a small child, he had been taught never to touch it or look inside. Why is this mysterious box so precious to her? Why does she often hold it and stroke it as though it contains all the secrets of the world, and more?
âBut youâre still young. Sheba needs a Queen.â She refocuses on him.
âNo,â he says forcefully before letting out a breath, then grabbing and sniffing one of the perfume jars on the table, not sure if liking it or not. Hebrew letters are written on the jar. Why does she prefer perfumes from the Kingdom of Israel? he wonders.
âWeâve talked about this before. Sheba and your legacy are my life now. Besides, Setannah and Nezem are enough for me. I need no queen.â Sensing her hard gaze on him, he bows his head, sighting melted candle wax on the tableâs surface. A frustrated scowl crosses his face while trying to remove the waxy blemish with a fingernail. He can still feel her keen, unrelenting gaze.
The scene reminds the Queen of little Ben-Chakam. And for a second, she forgets he is no longer a young boy, and she sounds motherly. âOkay, okay, Iâm still your motherâone who wants nothing more than to ensure youâre happy. And to be fulfilled as a king.â She pauses, looking out the window, yearningly. âI know somebody who isâŚâ
She raises her head from the pillow just a fraction, leaning in closer as if in a conspiratorial whisper. âI know someone who isââ she repeats. No end to the sentence is provided.
He loses patience, stepping upright and away into the center of the room, confident. âSomebody who is what, Mother? What is it you want to tell me? I have emergency meetings today.â
âAbout your father. I lied. He did not die in battle.â
âMother?â he says, breathlessly, dragging the right hand over his face, digesting what she just said. Before, he had been standing tall, head held high in confidence, but now his legs would give out on him at any moment.
 He opens and closes his mouth, gaping and grasping for words, trying to think of something to say. He cannot think straight. What does she mean by, I know someone who is, anyway? It doesnât fit, doesnât say anything about his father. He believes she must be delusional, having moments of lapse, unable to chain together the words she really wishes to voice.
But still, she has given voice to something terrible about his father. Terrible, yet good at the same time.
If he did not die in battle, then what is the truth of it? he asks himself.
All his childhood, he longed for a father, longed to be the same as the other boys who each knew paternal love. Yet, again and again, he was told his father had been killed in combat and that she had never remarried, instead dedicating herself to Sheba.
She is silent now, waiting for him to absorb the secret, the entirety and implications of it. And only then does she tell the rest. âHeâs still alive, Ben-Chakam.â
She stretches out her right hand in his direction, imagining herself stroking his cheek with her fingertip. âAs I feel you now, so too could my hand rest upon your fatherâs brow and trace his cheek. Your father lives and breathes⌠Just as you do.â
Standing frozen, a cold chill runs through him, and yet his mouth emits an intense heat.
âWho is he?â
âIâve mentioned the name many times.â Her eyes soften like ripe dates. âHeâs the legendary King Solomon of Israel.â
âKing Solomon?â A shout erupts, but then he remains incredulous for a long moment.
More than forty years have passed since the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon in Jerusalem. Ben-Chakam heard about the Kingâs wisdom and legacy with women.
The two men are so dissimilar in so many aspects, it would be peculiar should he learn that King Solomon is his biological father. He now recalls the pieces of stories the Queen and her assistant, Orah, told when he was a child. The dots connect into a long thread. Their merry conversations on how certain parts of his face and body movement were âof the wise man.â
But they could not begin to understand his devoted love for Malkah since he was fourteen. How they would laugh each time he retorted, âMother, stop finding me more princesses! I donât want them. Malkah is everything.âÂ
That was the point at which the Queen realized that she and he were quite alike.
Caught in a storm of anger, he steps in front of the bed. âWhy didnât you tell me? And why did you lie to me?â He throws hands in the air in exasperation. âAll. These. Years.â His full lungs are suddenly empty in one exhale. âNow I understand your obsession with endorsing their God.â He pauses, talks to the ceiling. âAnd empowering our women.â
âDonât be upset. Iâm telling you now because you have established your position and the people of Sheba will always love you, no matter the decisions you make.â
He paces from side to side, letting the steam escape, caring at least enough to not weaken her fragile health.
 âI always heard something in your voice every time you mentioned his name.â
Now he is calming a little, she dares to talk about King Solomon. âA secret he taught me, my son. If we want Sheba to prosper, we must accord free will to our women.â
âThatâs exactly what youâve done.â He shouts fast, almost barking, âAnd oh God, you passed it on to Setannah and Nezem. Theyâre already dictating to me.â
It sounds almost comical and even the Queen has a small smile crossing her lips and crinkling the corners of her eyes. âGood. Good. Take your time. Donât rush. Let the children know who their grandfather is. Then Iâd like to see the twins tomorrow evening.â
Ben-Chakam leaves heavy with thought. He cannot allow himself to be upset now that his mother is dying. On the one hand, she was wrong to keep this secret and not trust him. On the other hand, he is her only son. She could not jeopardize the future of her dream kingdom.
You should open wide your inner eye and turn back time to find out that the clue was always there. A wide smile surfaces, followed by loud, healthy laughter as he walks off to inform the children who their grandfather is. Unlike his own instant shocked response, theirs likely will be one of elation when he finally tells them.
âKing Solomon!â he shouts once and lifts his hands up. His voice echoes back from the high ceiling and then he shouts again at it, âKing Solomon, of all the people in the world.â
As the Queen of Sheba lies dying, she tells her only son the secret which she's kept hidden his entire life. His father did not die in battle, as she led him to believe. No, indeed he is non other than King Solomon of Isreal. He bestowed on her a wondrous gift, The Kumaz, a beautiful, magical stone which becomes attended to the wearers soul. It amplifies their characteristics, reflecting their inner beauty with their outer image.
The Queen has two granddaughters, the non-identical twins Nezem and Setannah. They're as different on the outside as they are on the inside - although both beautiful beyond imagine. Nezem is kind, generous and gentle; sharing her grandmother's dream of Sheba being a place of sanctuary - a place where everyone is free and equal. Setannah is more calculating, bold and somewhat mocking. She has her own agenda, and will stop at nothing to achieve it.
Kumaz is a tale of a fractured and complicated relationship between twin sisters, as each battles their own demons and beliefs in order to discover what it means to be a woman. It's set against the legendary backdrop of biblical era Isreal and Sheba, mentioning biblical figures and events. It builds into a fantastical novel about the power of a woman and how ambitions can drive a family apart.
I downloaded Kumaz somewhat excitedly, expecting high adventures, Pharaoh's and tombs and magic interwoven throughout the book. What I got was not that. It was a slow burner, spending a lot of time with the Queen Sheba as she lay prone on her sick bed. Many family arguments and a confused text which swapped from one character's point of view to the next within the same sentence. It was a clunky read, and did not live up to my high hopes.
S. A.