Jairus's Daughter. Patti Rutka

Jairus's Daughter is a literary-historic novel that sets up a rhythm between two women separated by twenty centuries. Their lives nonetheless mirror each other in subtle ways and finally intersect in modern Israel. Aviel, a scribe in first-century Israel, has a gift and a secret that, millennia later, will affect the choices of Anna Washington, a modern rock climbing woman searching for her heart's direction. Colorful characters and striking detail combine in this tale of passion and integrity from midrashic novelist Patti Rutka.