The Genizah at the House of Shepher

Name: The Genizah at the House of Shepher
ISBN: 9780312379070

A Novel

Tamar Yellin

Awards

SAMI

WINNER OF THE SAMI ROHR PRIZE FOR FICTION
WINNER OF THE HAROLD U. RIBALOW PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WINGATE PRIZE (Jewish Quarterly)

A scholar, returning to her family home in Jerusalem, becomes embroiled in a family dispute over a discovered Codex, brought home originally by her great-great grandfather, in this novel that traces one woman's quest to find both love and a true promised land.

Shulamit Shepher pays one last visit to her grandparents' home in Jerusalem after a fateful discovery—a mysterious and valuable Torah manuscript that's been stashed away in the attic genizah, a depository for old or damaged sacred documents, has been uncovered. So begins a remarkable journey that spans four generations of the family Shepher, one that begs Shulamit to reconsider not only her ancestors' history and heritage but her own passions, faith, and choices for the future. Haunting and illuminating, The Genizah at the House of Shepher is a tale of love and loss, exile and belonging, tradition and myth that no reader will soon forget.

“Warm and engrossing, rich with historical detail and unmet yearning... More than anything, this wide-ranging novel is a meditation on the power of the Holy City, able to restore or shake the faith of whoever enters.” —Publishers' Weekly

“Filled with myth, mystery, and history... this novel gives the flavor of Jerusalem neighborhoods through the modern era. Recommended.” —Library Journal

“Assured, professional and profound... She's got a kind of Vermeer pitch to her work, just a quiet quality. This novel is beautifully crafted and combines all sorts of mythic and mundane themes and ideas in a very assured way.” —Jewish Chronicle

“[A] writer of rare distinction.” —The Guardian

“In Shulamit, debut author Tamar Yellin gives us a Jewish heroine for our time... Shepher is the Hebrew word for beauty. This stunning book has its proper name.” —Bookpage

About the Author

Tamar Yellin received the Pusey and Ellerton Prize for Biblical Hebrew from Oxford University, and has worked as a teacher and lecturer in Judaism. Her first novel, The Genizah at the House of Shepher, was awarded the 2007 Sami Rohr Prize for Literature from the Jewish Book Council, the Ribalow Prize from Hadassah Magazine and was short-listed for the Wingate Prize from Jewish Quarterly. She lives in Yorkshire, England.