First published 2007
Claudia Rubin has built her reputation as a powerful rabbi through charm, intelligence, and fierce determination. Her glamorous London family appears wonderfully happy as they prepare for the wedding of their eldest son. History and community converge as guests gather for this joyous celebration of a dynastic Jewish family at its peak. Then disaster strikes. One minute before exchanging vows, the groom flees with another woman. The perfect family facade crumbles instantly. The wedding catastrophe exposes the massive secrets each family member has been hiding. All four adult Rubin children grapple with sexual frustration and experimentation. Their parents face their own betrayals and deceptions. What seemed like a blessed family transforms into something darker and more complex. The myths that once defined the Rubins take on sinister new meanings. As each member confronts their hidden struggles, the family falls apart spectacularly before finding a way to regain their balance. Their crisis reveals the universal nature of family dysfunction beneath surface perfection.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama, jewish
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-dysfunction, hidden-struggles
Setting: London
Period: 21st-century
300 pages · Paperback · Picador