Book Description

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Weight of Ink, “a tale of war and peace that moves us from Jerusalem to New York and back again” (San Francisco Chronicle). In this affecting, perceptive novel, Rachel Kadish reflects on the ghosts of the past, the tensions of war, and the difficult bonds of family. When Maya enrolls at Hebrew University in Jerusalem shortly after the Gulf War, she hopes to leave New York and a fraught relationship with her mother behind her. In Israel, she gets to know her older cousin Tami, a housewife whose home has a room sealed against the war’s Scud missile attacks. Like Maya, Tami feels distanced from the people closest to her—her mother, her husband, her only son. But it will ultimately be Maya’s visits with Shifra, an elderly recluse and Holocaust survivor who lives in the apartment below her, that give Maya the courage to confront her problems and break free of the burdens of her past. Praise for Rachel Kadish and From a Sealed Room “A gifted writer, astonishingly adept at nuance, narration, and the politics of passion.”—Toni Morrison “Brilliantly braids history, religion, family, and eros. I was moved . . . and very impressed.”—Russel Banks “An intense, ambitious story that explores the chasms between the truth and falsehood, past and present.”—The New York Times Book Review “What makes this book so rich and historically resonant is the skill and boldness with which Kadish weaves the intersecting stories of three women representing three generations.”—Chicago Tribune “A poignant and a surprisingly powerful tale.”—The Boston Globe