Secrets and struggles for redemption abound on a kibbutz in mid-1990s Israel in Pushcart Prize nominee Jessamyn Hope's first novel, Safekeeping.
Adam arrives on the kibbutz where his Zayde--grandfather--lived for a time after World War II. A drug addict from Manhattan, Adam is racked with guilt that he failed to get clean and sober before his grandfather died unexpectedly, so he has vowed to deliver a priceless family heirloom into safekeeping. He knows he cannot act as a proper caretaker of the magnificent sapphire brooch, so he decides to track down the person meant to have it: Zayde's long-lost sweetheart, Dagmar, who refused the brooch and Zayde's offer of marriage decades ago.
Despite her assurance in a long-ago note to Zayde that she would remain on the kibbutz for the rest of her life, no one named Dagmar lives there. At a loss, Adam volunteers in the kitchen and gets to know his fellow residents. Beautiful Ulya from Belarus has New York City dreams; Claudette grew up in an abusive French Catholic orphanage and now suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Finally, elderly Ziva tries to evade Adam's search. She is Dagmar, and she has her reasons for not revealing herself to the young American who looks just like Franz, her lost love.
A snapshot of a pivotal moment in the life of a community as well as a retrospective on the persecution of Jewish people throughout history, this emotional journey will leave readers with aching hearts and deepened empathy for the waifs and strays of our world. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads