The River Midnight - Tapa blanda

Poignantly and humorously evokes shtetl life... Beautifully captures a lost way of life and its enduring sense of community (Publishers Weekly)

'A young Canadian writer's brilliant first novel... A marvelous debut and a loving anatomy of the vanished world of the shtetls that merits comparison with the best work of Singer' Kirkus Reviews

'Poignantly and humorously evokes shtetl life... Beautifully captures a lost way of life and its enduring sense of community' Publishers Weekly

A young Canadian writer's brilliant first novel... A marvelous debut and a loving anatomy of the vanished world of the shtetls that merits comparison with the best work of Singer (Kirkus Reviews)

Brilliantly patterned minutiae of everyday life...supple narrative technique' (Time)

'Brilliantly patterned minutiae of everyday life...supple narrative technique' Time (longer review in file)

'This is a remarkable and skilfully crafted first novel.' Historical Review

A heady mix of folksy Jewishness and feminism... Hugely sentimental, but with a rollicking energy that overcomes rational objections (Independent on Sunday)

The narrative is imbued with a touch of magic and fantasy, making for a story that is unusual, captivating and entertaining (The Times)

A plucky first novel...a jubilant feast of story-telling (Daily Mail)

In Blaszka, a Jewish village, the midwife Misha is now pregnant - who knows who is the father? For nine months, Misha carries her child, and the women carry on with their lives. As the rabbi begins to pray on the Day of Atonement, the women have to decide whether to stay or help Misha give birth.