The Gravedigger's Daughter
by Joyce Carol Oates
Fleeing Nazi Germany in 1936, the Schwarts immigrate to a small town in
upstate New York. Here the father—a former high school teacher—is
demeaned by the only job he can get: gravedigger and cemetery caretaker.
When local prejudice and the family's own emotional frailty give rise
to an unthinkable tragedy, the gravedigger's daughter, Rebecca heads out
into America. Embarking upon an extraordinary odyssey of erotic risk
and ingenious self-invention, she seeks renewal, redemption, and
peace—on the road to a bittersweet and distinctly “American” triumph.
upstate New York. Here the father—a former high school teacher—is
demeaned by the only job he can get: gravedigger and cemetery caretaker.
When local prejudice and the family's own emotional frailty give rise
to an unthinkable tragedy, the gravedigger's daughter, Rebecca heads out
into America. Embarking upon an extraordinary odyssey of erotic risk
and ingenious self-invention, she seeks renewal, redemption, and
peace—on the road to a bittersweet and distinctly “American” triumph.