“I hope non-Jewish readers will see some of the beauty of our Jewish customs and culture.” -A Jewish Q&A with author Linda Epstein, Repairing the World
Pro tip when reading Repairing the World by Linda Epstein: have tissues available.
Joyful, hopeful, sweet, and yes, sad, this book will bring on the waterworks in the very best way. There is something very special about the way this story unfolds, how the characters, especially Daisy, find ways to move forward when a friend dies. With a little bit of nature’s magic, family, and a Bat Mitzvah project, Daisy learns how to step into her future while honoring her past.
I caught up with friend and author Linda Epstein to ask her all the Jewish questions about Repairing the World.
Q: Repairing the World begins with two friends, Daisy and Ruby, finding a little bit of magic out in the trees. The beautiful cover of this book really captures this magic! I’d love to hear more about how you chose this opening for your story and what you thought when you saw the cover.
A: First of all, when I saw the cover of Repairing the World for the first time it took my breath away and I immediately burst into tears! The illustrator, Peijin Yang, really captured the emotions of Daisy perfectly, from the slight hunch of her shoulders to those sneakers pitched just so. And I agree the cover captures the magic! In my imagination those sparkly things floating in the air around Daisy are her prayers. Having the girls experience something unexplainable, perhaps magical, out in nature, felt like the best place to begin this story. When I’m out in nature that’s usually the closest I feel to something larger than my own existence––some might call it God––and that feels magical to me. And, out in nature, in the woods, is ultimately where Daisy finds solace, so it seemed a good place to begin and end the story.
Q: Daisy learns that Ruby has tragically died in an accident. I’ll admit I was overwhelmed (and crying) by the nuanced way you portrayed grief. As a middle schooler, I loved reading Lurlene McDaniel books that dealt with grief but I never really understood what drew me to them. What would you hope young readers take away from Daisy’s experience?
A: It’s my sincerest wish that my readers, young and old, are comforted by this story. Yes, it’s unbelievably sad, but death is a natural part of life, even when it’s unexpected or comes too soon. I think we all need to be shown that we will make it through the grieving process, even when that feels impossible. I hope my readers see that connecting to other people, and having an open heart, can be part of the healing. It’s my intention that Jewish readers (of any denomination) will appreciate reading a story with Jewish representation in it, even if that representation might differ from one’s own experience. And I hope non-Jewish readers will see some of the beauty of our Jewish customs and culture.
Q: Each character brings something new and special to Daisy’s life as she learns how to move forward. I love her aunt, especially! Who do you identify with the most? And which character came the most naturally to you to write?
A: I didn’t realize until after I’d finished writing the novel that every single character contains an aspect of myself in them. There’s a little bit of Linda in all of them! Mo and I not only share a love of black jelly beans but also a belief in bashert. And I’m kind of nerdy and wordy, just like Avery. There’s a lot of my mom-ness in Lori and, like Will, I can be a bit nutty when it comes to the environment and Googling everything. I loved writing Aunt Toby because she’s the character I aspire to be the most like. I think Ruby might be the embodiment of my belief in magic and wonder. And Daisy... well, Daisy and I share some anxiety, a love of Marvel movies, and the capacity to dig deep and find strength we didn’t know we had. I loved giving that last quality to her.
Q: Daisy is a Jewish girl who is preparing for her Bat Mitzvah and looking for a mitzvah she can make her own. Did you draw from your own Jewish outlook and experiences in writing this book?
A: I mostly drew on my experience as a Jewish mom. I grew up culturally Jewish but unaffiliated with a synagogue and I never became a bat mitzvah. As an adult I leaned into my Jewishness and when my kids were little, we joined a Reconstructionist synagogue. All three of my children went to Hebrew School and became b’nai mitzvah and I loved going to our synagogue. I definitely drew emotionally from our family experience of those years to write Repairing the World. I think the Jewish outlook in the book comes from my own personal beliefs. I deeply love being Jewish and I’m very grateful that I found Reconstructionist Judaism. It has given me a unique and individual way to connect with both God and Judaism.
Q: It feels like a great time for Jewish Kid Lit! My favorite question to ask authors, especially Jewish authors, is what books did you identify with as a kid and when was the first time you saw yourself in a book?
A: I don’t think I identified with a Jewish character in a book when I was a kid. (I’m kind of old and there weren’t very many.) I was deeply into Little Women though and I strongly identified with Jo March. Probably because she’s a writer and queer coded! It wasn’t until I read Rena Rossner’s Sisters of the Winter Wood though that I felt like I saw myself, in a weird way, in a novel. The Yiddishkeit in that book felt like the Yiddishkeit I knew growing up in my family of origin. Believe it or not, I’m only one generation removed from a shtetl in the Pale of Settlement. And you’re right, it does feel like a great time for Jewish Kid Lit! I’m so pleased to see more Jewish representation in middle grade and young adult novels, and to have my own book be a part of that. But we’re not all white and Ashkenazi, so I’m really hoping we’ll see more diversity in Jewish Kid Lit soon, too.
