Luna Benamor

"Luna Benamor" by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez is a story set in the early 1900s that follows Luis Aguirre, a young and promising Spanish diplomat, as he arrives in Gibraltar before starting his new job in Australia and becomes fascinated by the local culture and a captivating Jewish woman named Luna Benamor; together their story explores the challenges of love between different cultures, the importance of identity, and the struggles with what society expects, as Aguirre is instantly drawn to Gibraltar's energetic mix of cultures and races and as he gets ready for his important role, he falls deeply interested in Luna, who represents the difficulties of love and finding where you belong. We learn of the growing attraction, yet also the social barriers as Aguirre balances his position with both the expectation that come with it and Luna finds herself caught between her family's desires and her growing attraction to Aguirre, together setting the stage for a touching exploration of the hurdles of love that crosses cultural and religious lines.