more praise for

ELLEN MEEROPOL’S NOVELS

Her Sister’s Tattoo

“Her Sister’s Tattoo is all about a family with a multigenerational passion for political activism, but the narrator’s voice is always clear and calm. Meeropol writes with precision, insight and compassion about the most tumultuous moments in human life, whether they happen in public or in private. Above all, she artfully invents a fictional story that enables readers to penetrate some of the agonies and mysteries of a very real case.” —Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal

“One of the great pleasures in reading Her Sister’s Tattoo lies in its attention to the five senses, from patchouli in the air at the opening protest to a child drawing on newsprint with “four fat crayons” to the sight of origami cranes. An exploration about how we make decisions on where our loyalties lie.”—Bethanne Patrick, LitHub

“The themes explored in the book—loyalty, conflicting decisions, right vs wrong, social justice, family relationships—. . . are some of the most challenging interpersonal issues we humans grapple with. The success of Her Sister’s Tattoo is that Meeropol has managed to approach difficult issues with a keen sensitivity. Finding this particular book at this particular time in history seemed quite serendipitous, as all of us confront difficulties during our own national time of crisis.”—Tracey Barnes Priestley, Times Standard

Kinship of Clover

“Kinship of Clover advances a deep appreciation of difference and of the bonds of love that provide sustenance in a fracturing, threatened world. It is a wondrous example of how a political novel, in the right hands, can achieve high artistry.”—Céline Keating, Necessary Fiction

“If a novel can serve as both a harbinger of the future and a parable for our fraught political times, then Ellen Meeropol has done it again.” —Lisa C. Taylor, Midwest Book Review

“Ellen Meeropol’s new novel, Kinship of Clover, is heartbreaking and haunting, with a cast of finely drawn and deeply memorable characters.”—Frank O. Smith, Portland Press Herald

On Hurricane Island

“On Hurricane Island is a chilling, Kafkaesque story about what happens when the United States does to citizens at home what it has done to others abroad. Meeropol puts the reader right into the middle of these practices through characters about whom you really care, and a story you can’t put down.”—Michael Ratner, Center for Constitutional Rights

“I didn’t expect to find myself reading a page-turner, but that’s really what the novel is—and aspires to be. The novel forces us to contemplate things we’d rather not think could be true, and wonder. . . . The novel’s stark but clear setting rose to character status, and its very cinematic descriptions of action were clear enough to watch events unfold. That’s to say I found myself casting the movie in my head; I think you will, too.” —Sarah Werthan Buttenwieser, Valley Advocate

House Arrest

“Meeropol raises bold questions and allows her handful of main characters to debate the merits: What constitutes a family, and who decides which variations qualify? When is it acceptable to bend the rules, and at what expense? Is it possible to separate actions from consequences? . . . This multi-genre novel defies easy classification. Part medical mystery, morality tale and psychological drama, it’s above all a terrific read.” —Joan Silverman, The Portland Press Herald

“[A]n original, riveting, and suspenseful yet warm and sensitive story that deftly explores the concepts of right and wrong, the unequal balance between rigid law and common sense, the unintended consequences of political activism, and the decisions people make when faced with tough life choices.”—William D. Bushnell, The New Maine Times

“In this strong first novel, an unusual relationship develops between a home-care nurse and the pregnant cult member under house arrest to whom she is assigned prenatal visits . . . Meeropol’s work is thoughtful and tightly composed, unflinching in taking on challenging subjects and deliberating uneasy ethical conundrums.”—Publishers Weekly

(starred review)