Passover, the most important Jewish holiday, celebrates the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Ancient Egypt. The holiday lasts for seven days, and it's traditional to serve a festive Seder, a ceremonial meal, on the first night of Passover complete with a reading of the Haggadah, consuming the symbolic foods on the Seder plate and kosher wine. In celebration of Passover, let's explore some novels that have memorable Seder scenes.
What if you were asked to kill your uncle by a Union commander at the Passover Seder table? That's what happens to Jacob Rappaport in Dara Horn's All Other Nights, captivating historical fiction set during the Civil War featuring a Jewish Union solider, Jacob, who is asked to become a spy by infiltrating the Confederate army and falls in love with a woman he's been asked to ensnare.
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter tells the story of how an upper middle-class Jewish family living in Poland is impacted by WWII. The novel, which is based on the lives of the author's own family, both opens and closes with memorable Passover Seders.
For a rather comic Passover Seder, pick up Michael Chabon's Wonder Boys. Grady Tripp, a nearly always stoned professor suffering from writer's block, heads to his in-laws' Passover Seder with a student to locate his wife who has left him.
Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk, which was a bestseller in 1955, is about a rebellious young Jewish woman in 1930's New York City who dreams of becoming an actress. It's full of depictions of Jewish customs and life, including a Passover Seder.
Finally, The Dinner Party by Barbara Janowitz is entire novel dedicated to a Passover Seder that is a funny and charming family drama.
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