Drawing in the Dust    by Zoë Klein Order:  USA  Can Pocket, 2009 (2009) Hardcover, CD Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Barbara Lingens Two love stories, one ancient and one modern, are intertwined in this novel. Zoë Klein has imagined Page, a Catholic Bible scholar/archaeologist who finds a treasure beneath the earth that will transform all previous knowledge of the prophet Jeremiah. While Page is working her way to the big discovery, she is also trying to get a handle on her own life. Beautiful, highly intelligent, able to quote Torah 'with the speed and precision of missile launcher,' she does not suffer from lack of male interest, but because of a painful past, she has learned too well to protect her heart. Then she meets Mortichai, a conservative Jew, who will challenge and change her. Meanwhile, the discovery of Anatiya's scrolls begins working on everybody connected with it. Anatiya was a woman who loved Jeremiah beyond all understanding, and her writings lend a new understanding to Jeremiah's, which they parallel in telling detail. This is a wonderful story that could only have been written by someone rich in imagination and very knowledgeable of Biblical times and texts. The politics of our time are not neglected nor is the idea that always, above all, love remains. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews