Debbie Harpham
ABOUT THE BELIEF IN ANGELS
Growing up in her parents’ crazy hippie household on a tiny island off the coast of Boston, Jules’s imaginative sense of humor is the weapon she wields to dodge household chaos. But somewhere between routine discipline with horsewhips, gun-waving gambling debt collectors, and LSD-laced breakfast cereal adventures, tragedy strikes with the death of her younger brother—a blow from which Jules may never fully recover.
Jules’ story alternates with that of her Grandfather Samuel, a man with a sad story of his own. Samuel, once called Szaja, is an orthodox Jew who lived through the murderous Ukranian pogroms of the 1920s and the Majdanek Death Camp—but whose survival came at a price that’s haunted him for years.
PRAISE FOR THE BELIEF IN ANGELS
“Three cheers for J. Dylan Yates in her debut novel, THE BELIEF IN Angels, and for her plucky heroine, Jules Finn, as well. Before going off to college, Jules remembers a tumultuous decade of her life with her irresponsible, drug-addled, free-loving mother; her abusive, selfish father; two brothers who cope with familial dysfunction in their own ways; and her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor who lives in the morass of his own past. What could be depressing becomes, with Yates’ skilled narration, a heart-rending but deeply optimistic and appealing story about finding oneself, and the power of love and loss to reshape lives.” -Laurel Corona, author, UNTIL OUR LAST BREATH and THE MAPMAKER’S DAUGHTER
“A beautiful, compelling literary novel whose heroine — Jules Finn– will leave you reeling once you’ve finished the last page. Interwoven with her own tragic tale of being raised by selfish, self-involved parents, is the heartbreaking story of her grandfather– a Ukrainian Jew who survived both the Holocaust and the Soviet pogroms– both at a terrible price. This is a heartbreaking read that proves once again that in all people and in all things it is the sense of loss that ultimately unites us with others and with our true selves.” -Patricia Eimer , author, LUCK OF THE DEVIL
”Author, J. Dylan Yates, doesn’t deal in happy outcomes but she does deal in well-developed characters and believable dialogue in an absorbing narrative. THE BELIEF IN Angels is a touching, inspiring read.” -Bookbuzz
“J. Dylan Yates’ supremely singular novel is a controversial observation, which explores difficult issues that are challenging in literary fiction. It is a bold narrative full of tenderness, acuteness and exposed rawness that is highly admirable and noteworthy.” -Lucinda, NetGalley / Goodreads Librarian
“In THE BELIEF IN Angels, J.Dylan Yates creates a compelling young narrator who takes us through her troubling past with an understanding that is wise beyond her years. Though we don’t want to believe all that has happened to Jules, we know without a doubt that she is telling the truth. I love a novelist who can create gorgeous sentences and make a world come to life with her words; Yates is such a writer. ” -Judy Reeves, author, A WRITER’S BOOK OF DAYS
“Oh my word, this was the best book I’ve read in a while.” -Rose Summers, Writing Through Rose-Tinted Glasses Blog
THIS BOOK IS A WINNER!
Winner of the 2015 Theodor S. Geisel Award
Winner of the 2015 San Diego Book Award for General Fiction
Winner of the 2014 USA BEST BOOK AWARD for Cross-Genre Fiction
2015 INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD Finalist for Literary Fiction
Winner of the 2015 IPPY AWARD
2015 USA BEST BOOK AWARD Finalist
2015 KINDLE BOOK AWARDS Semi-Finalist
2015 LEAPFROG PRESS AWARD Honorable Mention