Dina and Julia first meet at a surgical convention and bond over frustrations with their husbands’ demanding schedules. But geography, time, and growing families make maintaining their friendship difficult and their relationship eventually falls apart. One of them is left to wonder why; the other has a secret. But neither of them knows that decisions made by family members decades earlier have set them on a collision course.
Years after their friendship ends, Julia gets word that her daughter has suddenly become seriously ill—and she and Dina must decide whether they can face the history that now unites them and muster the maturity to rescue their emotionally tattered families.
A sweeping saga that follows generations from a shtetl in Odessa to the comforts of Scarsdale, an uprising in Glasgow to servitude in the Caribbean, and a trek through the Alps to a displaced persons camp in Italy, The Convention of Wives is a story about the ever-evolving messiness of friendship and marriage, and the wonder of survival.
Genre: General Fiction
Years after their friendship ends, Julia gets word that her daughter has suddenly become seriously ill—and she and Dina must decide whether they can face the history that now unites them and muster the maturity to rescue their emotionally tattered families.
A sweeping saga that follows generations from a shtetl in Odessa to the comforts of Scarsdale, an uprising in Glasgow to servitude in the Caribbean, and a trek through the Alps to a displaced persons camp in Italy, The Convention of Wives is a story about the ever-evolving messiness of friendship and marriage, and the wonder of survival.
Genre: General Fiction
Praise for this book
"If you love historical fiction, family sagas, women's friendships, and a juicy secret or two to tie them all together, then The Convention of Wives is the book for you!" - Alina Adams
"Debra Green is a wonderful storyteller, and her sweeping tale of family secrets had me turning pages from beginning to end. The Convention of Wives tells the story of Dina Aharoni Wasserman and Julia Cawley Kinsella, two young wives and mothers who meet in the 1970s, lose touch, then reunite decades later in a dramatic climax that reveals the mysterious end to their earlier friendship. Green masterfully moves the narrative back and forth in time and place, weaving together the lives of Dina's Jewish ancestors and Julia's Christian heritage to remind the reader that long-hidden family trauma still lives and breathes in each of us. A gripping family saga." - Mally Becker
"A medical mystery reveals devastating secrets as debut novelist Debra Green unspools the history of two intertwined families back through the generations. Rich in historical detail and deeply perceptive insights into the nature of betrayal and love." - Michelle Cameron
"Complicated secret legacies are exposed as two families reel from a betrayal, creating a ripple effect no one could have imagined at the core of this multigenerational saga." - Eva Lesko Natiello
"In a story that spans centuries and crosses continents, Debra Green weaves a complex tale of family secrets, love, loss, and redemption." - Susan Schoenberger
"Debra Green's skillfully braided story of two families, several generations, love, marriage, friendship, and a medical mystery makes for a thoroughly entertaining and oh-so-satisfying read." - Deborah K Shepherd
"Debra Green is a wonderful storyteller, and her sweeping tale of family secrets had me turning pages from beginning to end. The Convention of Wives tells the story of Dina Aharoni Wasserman and Julia Cawley Kinsella, two young wives and mothers who meet in the 1970s, lose touch, then reunite decades later in a dramatic climax that reveals the mysterious end to their earlier friendship. Green masterfully moves the narrative back and forth in time and place, weaving together the lives of Dina's Jewish ancestors and Julia's Christian heritage to remind the reader that long-hidden family trauma still lives and breathes in each of us. A gripping family saga." - Mally Becker
"A medical mystery reveals devastating secrets as debut novelist Debra Green unspools the history of two intertwined families back through the generations. Rich in historical detail and deeply perceptive insights into the nature of betrayal and love." - Michelle Cameron
"Complicated secret legacies are exposed as two families reel from a betrayal, creating a ripple effect no one could have imagined at the core of this multigenerational saga." - Eva Lesko Natiello
"In a story that spans centuries and crosses continents, Debra Green weaves a complex tale of family secrets, love, loss, and redemption." - Susan Schoenberger
"Debra Green's skillfully braided story of two families, several generations, love, marriage, friendship, and a medical mystery makes for a thoroughly entertaining and oh-so-satisfying read." - Deborah K Shepherd
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