In 1917 on New York City’s Lower East Side, Baruch Rosenfeld, following Jewish tradition, invites a beggar to join his family for the Passover Seder. Baruch’s good deed backfires. He and his wife Rebekah and their children Nathan, Jacob, and Sadie are trapped in time. They don’t age, they can’t leave their three-room apartment, and the outside world believes they disappeared without a trace. A hundred years later, Rabbi Meir Poppers, a young kishef macher— Jewish magician—discovers the Rosenfelds. His efforts to free them are blocked by rivals, ancient spells, and his own self-doubt. When Meir finally reaches them, he and the family must make decisions that will change their lives forever.
Jewish magic, an unfinished Seder, a tenement family trapped in a time bubble, mysterious men in black, the delicious aroma of schmaltz, and a little girl, dreaming of Coney Island with Herschel, her imaginary boyfriend. Dubrow’s charming fantasy is rich in fascinating ethnic detail and engaging characters.
Vicki Lane, author of And the Crows Took Their Eyes and the Elizabeth Goodweather Mysteries
When Esther Luna discovers a family of ghosts living in New York’s Tenement Museum, she calls upon Meir Poppers, a lonely Jewish miracle worker, to liberate them, and everyone’s life is changed in the process. In The Magic Maker, Mickey Dubrow has given us a sweet and soulful comedy filled with match makers, magic makers, mischief makers, portents and potions. This is a funny and wise book about time and love.
Joseph Skibell, author of A Blessing on the Moon and A Curable Romantic.
If you want magic of an especially warm-hearted, hilarious, poignant, and insightful variety, this is the book for you. Mickey Dubrow's The Magic Maker is a thorough delight.
Steve Stern, author of The Village Idiot
For over thirty years, Mickey Dubrow wrote television promos, marketing presentations, and scripts for various clients including Cartoon Network, TNT Latin America, and HGTV. His short stories and essays have appeared in Prime Number Magazine, The Good Men Project, The Signal Mountain Review, Full Grown People, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. His first novel, American Judas, won the 2024 American Legacy Book Award in the category of Science Fiction: Parallel Universe/Alternative History. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife, author Jessica Handler.
One is specifically designed to take lives, and the other is specifically designed to save them.
