An innocent school project requiring the students to research their family history catapults Tamar, a talented violinist, into a fascinating journey. Every evening, as her mother carefully unfolds the details of her past, Tamar sails off to distant Yemen. There she meets Fatima, the little Jewish girl, her Jewish mother and her Moslem father. She learns of Fatima’s terrifying grandmother, and the Jewish friend.
A sharp piece of glass in Fatima’s coat pocket sets off a chain of events that is still unraveling as they speak. As Tamar struggles to piece together the broken shards of her mother’s story, she draws conclusions that have far-reaching consequences. Esther, her duet partner and best friend, gets pushed aside as a result of Tamar’s erroneous conclusions.
A Jewish little girl in Moslem Yemen, whose fate deals her unusual challenges; a young lady in Israel, who is thrust into conflict between her heart and her conscience, and one very dear friend, who is completely bewildered by the sudden upheaval. And then there’s Savta in the United States, who wants to tell her daughter everything, before it’s too late.
Fascinating history, astounding revelations, deep-rooted relationships that are severed and then cautiously reconnected.
And throughout it all, the violin cries along.
Duet, by Sarah Schwartzman, author of the popular novel Little Pink Shoes.
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