Hunting Midnight

Author is a multiple prize winner and nominee who has previously sold over 935,000 copies of his books worldwide. 85,000 copies sold in all languages worldwide. UK and Portuguese editions of the novel were bestsellers. Nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award. The second novel in the Sephardic Cycle, a group of independent works that explore the lives of different branches and generations of a Portuguese-Jewish family, the Zarcos. ‘Zimler is an honest, powerful writer’ – The Guardian

Rich in historical detail and mysticism, Hunting Midnight is Richard Zimler’s mesmerising tale of deception, guilt, forgiveness and devotion, played out against a backdrop of war, slavery and religious oppression.At the dawn of the nineteenth century, John Stewart Zarco lives out an inquisitive, naive childhood in his idyllic Porto community. But societal prejudices against his family’s Jewish faith shatter his innocence and even come to threaten his life. Following the tragic death of his dearest friend, it is only his unlikely bond with Midnight, an African healer and freed slave, that restores a sense of safety. But this fragile, fleeting peace is destroyed when Napoleon’s armies invade Portugal and John suffers another devastating loss – one rooted in unspeakable betrayal and authored by those closest to him. The revelation sets John on course for antebellum America, in what might ultimately prove to be a doomed quest for hope amid unspeakable cruelty and sin. Rich in historical detail and mysticism, Hunting Midnight is Richard Zimler’s mesmerising tale of deception, guilt, forgiveness and devotion, played out against a backdrop of war, slavery and religious oppression.