Author: Jessamyn Hope

“When Adam arrives at the kibbutz in Israel, he has only the clothes on his back and a priceless medieval brooch. By delivering the heirloom to his grandfather’s long-lost love, he hopes to make amends for a past transgression and then move on. But Adam isn’t the only restless person at the farm. Claudette, struggling with clinical OCD, longs to return to the Canadian orphanage in which she lived for 30 years. Ulya, who fled Russia by pretending to be Jewish, wishes to find her way to New York. Ziva, having escaped Nazi Germany to help found the kibbutz nearly 60 years ago, now faces the destruction of all her hard work at the end of her life. All of them must come to terms with the fragility of life to discover what they hold most important and stand a chance at redemption. This beautiful story of loss and hope sweeps artfully through 600 years of Jewish resilience. With its richly drawn, believable characters and its great sensitivity, Hope’s novel is a striking debut.”

Review by Cortney Ophoff for Booklist.