Thicker Than Mud
Ebook
Overview
Adam Drascher, a Jewish archaeology professor at a small Jesuit college in the Bronx, is at a standstill: Adam is in love with his former mentor, though he knows that relationship has no future, and though his tenure decision is approaching, Adam has little to show for his efforts studying the cult of the dead in ancient Israel. Everything changes for Adam when he discovers a tablet that sheds light on the Healers, shadowy underworld figures in Canaanite myth and in the Bible, on the same day that he loses his grandfather, the man who raised him. As Adam mourns for his grandfather and labors to interpret the text of the tablet, he unearths family secrets that test his loyalties and entangle him in the police investigation of an old family friend.
“Morris has perfect pitch when it comes to the law of the jungle
in university politics. His characters are real—authentic
Schlemihls and Schlimazels—and hoping for better
things. The reader is with them all the way.”
—Sol Gittleman, Emeritus Professor of Judaic Studies and Yiddish
Literature, Tufts University
“Thicker Than Mud is an erudite, multi-layered meditation on
loss and healing. Adam Drascher is an archaeologist who unearths a
mysterious, biblical-era tablet, which serves as symbol and
catalyst for the layers of submerged grief that emerge when his
beloved grandfather suddenly passes away. How do we honor our deep
connection to the dead while moving forward with our own lives?
That is the question that animates this warm, playful, and
spiritually sensitive debut novel.”
—Rena Blumenthal, rabbi and author of The Book of
Israela
“Jason Morris’s slender novel is big on ideas—from discovering a
mysterious ancient Hebrew tablet and grappling with theology to
offering a wry look at academia. At its heart, though, it is a
moving meditation on grief. The book poses vital questions: How do
we forgive others and ourselves? Whom do we love? Thicker Than
Mud is a compelling debut.”
—Ellen Umansky, author of The Fortunate Ones
“The author artfully blends intriguing civilization history and
personal drama—Adam intentionally excavates the former and is
compelled by circumstances to confront the latter. His utter
exasperation is movingly palpable . . . brimming with
psychological nuances.”
—from kirkusreviews.com
Product Details
- Title : Thicker Than Mud
- Author: Morris, Jason Z.
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Publication Date: 2019
- ISBN: 9781532687266
Jason Z. Morris is a professor in the Natural Sciences
Department at Fordham University. His research interests include
the genetic regulation of development and bioethics. Jewish
learning is one of his lifelong passions. He lives in New Rochelle
with his wife and children.