Alabaster

'Imaginative, authentic, and evocative. A powerful narrative beautifully told.' - Gerard Kelly, author of The Boy Who Loved RainMaryam is stuck in an abusive marriage, living with her in-laws, in a conservative, toxically religious Middle Eastern setting.A few years back, her father was given a jar of priceless perfume by a dying leper and it seemed as if their fortunes would improve, but then Maryam's father contracted leprosy and was exiled by the village. Maryam and her brother, Eleazar, and sister, Marta, experience the shame and ostracism this brings. The precious jar that was meant to bring them freedom, but it only seems to have brought destruction.But rumours abound concerning a new doctor; perhaps hope is on the horizon...A beautifully crafted novel about two sisters who face the stigma of shame, the sorrow of loss, and the startling hope one can find when someone shows you a different way of seeing the world.