Book detail

Widowed by the 1965 earthquake, Seattle housewife Rachel Mazursky translates the Yiddish diary of a murdered young immigrant, Aliza Rudinsk, whose bones were unearthed by the same quake. Rachel shares her translation with the reader so Aliza's distinctive voice alternates with Rachel's own passionate account of her response to the diary. Aliza's story moves Rachel, compelling her to read between the lines while searching 1965 Seattle’s small Jewish community for clues to the young woman's turn of the century murder. The reader time travels back to a far flung outpost of the Jewish diaspora where gold, good table manners, and assimilating often trump Torah, tribe, and tradition. Available in both print and e-book formats.