Washing the Dead
“From roots in one religious tradition, comes a tale of emotional redemption for all of us. Michelle Brafman’s astonishing compassion for all human frailty infuses this story about the need for truth and the promise of forgiveness.” —HELEN SIMONSON, author of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
“Heartfelt and genuine, Washing the Dead never betrays the complicated truths of family and tradition.”
— DAVID BEZMOZGIS, author of Natasha and Other Stories and The Betrayers
“Like a Jewish Anne Lamott, Brafman reels you in with warmth, depth and heart.” —SUSAN COLL, author of The Stager and Acceptance
Three generations of women confront family secrets in this exquisitely wrought debut novel that examines the experience of religious community, the perilous emotional path to adulthood, and the power of sacred rituals to repair damaged bonds between mothers and daughters.
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Book details
- Author
- Michelle Brafman
- Imprint
- Prospect Park Books, an imprint of Turner Publishing Company
- Published
- Pages
- 344
- Formats
- Paperback
- Subjects
- Fiction › Jewish
Fiction › Women
Fiction › Literary - Topics
- mother-daughter relationships · Orthodox Judaism · family secrets · generational saga · Jewish rituals · redemption and forgiveness · religious community
- ISBN-13
- 9781938849510
About the author
MICHELLE BRAFMAN is a fiction writing instructor at Johns Hopkins University and the author of Washing the Dead.
Brafman’s short stories and essays have appeared in the Washington Post, Slate, Tablet, Lilith Magazine, Bethesda Magazine, Superstition Review, Potomac Review, minnesota review, Fifth Wednesday Journal and Gargoyle. She holds degrees from the University of California, San Diego and Johns Hopkins University.
When she’s not writing, Brafman contributes regularly to the Lilith Magazine blog and has led its salon discussions at theaters and arts centers throughout the Washington, DC area. Much of her work illuminates seldom told stories of the Jewish experience.
Michelle lives in Glen Echo, Maryland with her husband and two children.