Drawing in the Dust

Zoe Klein

Simon and Schuster, Jul 7, 2009 - Fiction - 360 pages

Powerful and suspenseful, Zoë Klein's unforgettable debut novel is a richly evocative and boundless love story that reverberates from biblical times to the modern world.

Brilliant archaeologist Page Brookstone is convinced bones speak, yet none of the ancient remnants she has unearthed during her twelve years of toiling at Israel's storied battlegrounds of Megiddo has delivered the life-altering message she so craves. Which is why the story of Ibrahim and Aisha Barakat, a young Arab couple who implore Page to excavate the grounds beneath their house in Anatot, instantly intrigues her.

The Barakats claim the ghosts of two lovers haunt their home, overwhelming everyone who enters with love and desire. Ignoring the scorn of her peers, Page investigates the site, where she is seduced by an undeniable force. Once Ibrahim presents Page with hard evidence of a cistern beneath his living room, she has no choice but to uncover the secret of the spirits.

It is not long before Page makes miraculous discoveries -- the bones of the deeply troubled prophet Jeremiah locked in an eternal embrace with a mysterious woman named Anatiya. Buried with the entwined skeletons is a collection of Anatiya's scrolls, whose mystical words challenge centuries-old interpretations of the prophet's story and create a worldwide fervor that threatens to silence the truth about the lovers forever.

Caught in a forbidden romance of her own, and under constant siege from religious zealots and ruthless critics, Page risks her life and professional reputation to deliver Anatiya's passionate message to the world. In doing so, she discovers that to preserve her future in the land of the living, she must shake off the dust of the dead and let go of her own painful past. As poignant and thought-provoking as the beloved bestsellers The Red Tent and People of the Book, Zoë Klein's historically rich debut novel is a lyrical and unexpected journey that will stay with readers forever.

What people are saying

DRAWING IN THE DUST

User Review  - Kirkus

Love-crazed 2,500-year-old ghosts prompt a discovery that shakes biblical scholarship to its foundations in Rabbi Klein's far-fetched but zesty debut.American archeologist Page Brookstone is burnt out ...

Review: Drawing in the Dust

User Review  - Kelly - Goodreads

Cheesy plot and clunky writing but I was still sucked in.

Contents

• Section 1: 1
• Section 2: 5
• Section 3: 20
• Section 4: 33
• Section 5: 39
• Section 6: 48
• Section 7: 63
• Section 8: 77
• Section 9: 86
• Section 10: 95
• Section 11: 111
• Section 12: 122
• Section 13: 132
• Section 14: 143
• Section 15: 150
• Section 16: 161
• Section 17: 173
• Section 18: 188
• Section 19: 197
• Section 20: 210
• Section 21: 215
• Section 22: 229
• Section 23: 237
• Section 24: 249
• Section 25: 258
• Section 26: 267
• Section 27: 284
• Section 28: 298
• Section 29: 317
• Section 30: 327
• Section 31: 340
• Section 32: 352
• Section 33: 357

About the author

ZOË KLEIN pursued the rabbinate out of a passion for ancient texts, mythology, liturgy and poetry. ZoË Klein has written for Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, and Tikkun. She has written chapters in a number of collections including The Women’s Torah Commentary and Holy Ground: A Gathering of Voices on Caring for Creation. Her poetry and prayers are used in houses of worship around the country and has appeared as a commentator on the History Channel in “Digging for the Truth.” She lives with her family, where she is the senior rabbi of a large congregation.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Drawing in the Dust
• Author: Zoe Klein
• Publisher: Simon and Schuster, 2009
• ISBN: 1416599126, 9781416599128
• Length: 360 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / General; Fiction / Literary; Fiction / Religious