White

by Benjamin Zucker

Talmudic in form, sui generis in conception, this novel completes the story of the Tal family, a New York City family in the gem business, begun in Blue and Green . The story is juxtaposed against marvelous images, among them paintings from Mary Cassatt and Vermeer and a collection of photographs, ranging from Bob Dylan in a recoding session, to the Wild West days, to moving works by Roman Vishniac. As one family's story unfolds with all the drama of a saga, numerous Tal relatives and no less than Bob Dylan, Soren Kierkegaard, Buffalo Bill, and dozens of others add perspective, humor, and gravitas with their views. An extraordinary novel that is deftly self-referential while at the same time pulling in cultural and historical references from the widest range of sources, White completes a work of literature that is a convergence of colors and voices.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 24, 2008