Jessica Elisheva Emerson on Belief, Identity, and Women’s Desire

Olive Days is a novel about Rina Kirsch, a young mother and Modern Orthodox Jew in Los Angeles. But a contradiction burns at her center: Rina is an atheist. She is also stymied in her life and marriage.

Hoping to reinvigorate their relationship, Rina’s husband convinces her to partake in a night of wife swapping with other Orthodox couples. Rather than preserve her marriage, however, the swap plunges Rina down a heady path that begins with a rekindled passion for painting and culminates in an intoxicating affair with Will, her married art teacher. Rina must decide if it’s worth sacrificing everything she’s ever known to fully inhabit the uncharted landscape unfolding before her, one where her needs take precedence. (Counterpoint Press)

Jessica earned her MFA in creative writing from Antioch University Los Angeles and her BA in journalism from USC. She lives with her husband and children in the Sonoran Desert.

In our conversation, Jessica will expound on the complexities of belief, identity and women’s desire. Jessica delves into how her own atheism sits alongside her Jewish practice, and why she thinks of herself as a pessimist who finds joy in life. 

Jessica Elisheva Emerson’s Five Books:

1. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
2. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
3. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
4. Plainsong by Kent Haruf
5. Olive Days by Jessica Elisheva Emerson

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Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen

Produced by Odelia Rubin

Artwork by Dena Friedman

Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions.