THICKER THAN MUD
Adam Drascher, a Jewish archaeology professor at a small Jesuit college in the Bronx, is at a standstill. Adam is in love with his former mentor, though he knows that relationship has no future. More pressing, Adam’s tenure clock is ticking, and he has little to show for his efforts studying the cult of the dead in ancient Israel. Everything changes for Adam when he discovers a tablet that sheds light on The Healers, shadowy underworld figures in Canaanite myth and in the Bible, on the same day that he loses his grandfather, the man who raised him. As Adam mourns for his grandfather and labors to interpret the text of the tablet, he unearths family secrets that test his loyalties and entangle him in the police investigation of an old family friend.
About the Author
Jason Z. Morris is a Professor in the Natural Sciences Department at Fordham University (Fordham College at Lincoln Center). His research interests include the genetic regulation of development and bioethics. Jewish learning is one of his life-long passions. He lives in New Rochelle with his wife and children.
Praise for Thicker Than Mud
"The author artfully blends intriguing civilization history and personal drama–Adam intentionally excavates the former and is compelled by circumstances to confront the latter. His utter exasperation is movingly palpable. . . brimming with psychological nuances"
"Morris has perfect pitch when it comes to the law of the jungle in university politics. His characters are real–authentic Schlemihls and Schlimazels–and hoping for better things. The reader is with them all the way."
Sol Gittleman
Emeritus Professor of Judaic Studies and Yiddish Literature, Tufts University
"Thicker Than Mud is an erudite, multi-layered meditation on loss and healing. Adam Drascher is an archaeologist who unearths a mysterious, biblical-era tablet which serves as a symbol and catalyst for the layers of submerged grief that emerge when his beloved grandfather suddenly passes away. How do we honor our deep connection to the dead while moving forward with our own lives? That is the question that animates this warm, playful, and spiritually sensitive debut novel."