Bertrand Court
Prospect Park Books
Bertrand Court intertwines seventeen luminous narratives about the secrets of a cast of politicos, filmmakers, housewives, real estate brokers, and consultants, all tied to a suburban Washington, D.C. cul-de-sac. Linked through bloodlines and grocery lines, they respond to life’s bruises by grabbing power, sex, or the family silver.
As they atone and forgive, they unmask the love and truth that hop white picket fences. From the author of the acclaimed debut novel Washing the Dead, Bertrand Court further establishes Michelle Brafman as a writer with tremendous heart, humor, and understanding.
PRAISE:
“Brafman’s talent for drawing human emotion shines through in this episodic, deeply sensitive, and introspective novel of the human psyche.” — BOOKLIST
“Brafman’s writing is both skilled and sweet to the ear . . . Although the novel is a quick and pleasant read, it does not lack for depth. It pulsates with the issues of modern, suburban Jewish life.” — THE JERUSALEM POST
“Subtle and convincing . . . these characters interconnect from story to story, maintaining the reader’s interest as a novel should.” — THE WASHINGTON CITY PAPER
“The thread of Jewish culture that runs through Brafman’s novel is both respectful provocative and lovingly integrated. These graceful, insightful stories are a testament to our complicated lives and importance of family and friends.” — THE JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL
“Brafman’s characters struggle, and their complicated inner lives draw us in. . . (a) carefully crafted set of stories.” — THE WASHINGTON INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF BOOKS
"With insight and empathy, Michelle Brafman portrays a wide range of interconnected characters who share heartbreak, indiscretions, and tantalizing secrets in this keenly observed multi-generational chronicle."
― J. RYAN STRADAL, author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest
“Michelle Brafman eavesdrops on the human heart and reports back to us in Bertrand Court with honesty, compassion, and soul. This is gorgeous writing, in stories lit with grace.”
―DYLAN LANDIS, author of Rainey Royal
“Brafman employs humor, deft pacing, and artful jump-cuts to vividly and warmly evoke the lives and families of policy wonks, politicos, and housewives.”
― POLITICS & PROSE BOOKSTORE