When young minister Noah and his dutiful wife arrive at their new post in the hills, they've reached a gray and wet little town where it's been raining for as long as anyone can remember. Noah's wife is determined to help her husband revive this soggy congregation but soon finds her efforts thwarted by her eccentric new neighbors, among them an idiom-wielding Italian hardware store owner, a towering town matriarch, and a lovelorn zookeeper determined to stand by his charges. Overwhelmed, Noah's wife fails to realize that Noah, too, is battling his own internal crisis.
Soon the river waters rise, flooding the streets of the town and driving scores of wild animals out of the once-renowned zoo. As the water swallows up the houses, the telephone poles, and the single highway out of town, Noah, his wife, and the townspeople must confront not only the savage forces of nature but also the fragile ties that bind them to one another, all before their world is washed away.
Full of whimsy and gentle ironic humor, Noah's Wife is a wise and poignant novel that draws on the motifs of the biblical flood story to explore the true meaning of community, to examine the remarkable strength of the human spirit, and to ask whether hope can exist even where faith has been lost.
'Noah's Wife may be a contemporary allegory, but Lindsay Starck is a classic storyteller . . . Her novel is an engrossing fusion of wisdom and beautiful writing.' Mary McGarry Morris, internationally bestselling author
' An impressive debut novel . . . Starck's talent is on display in her vivid portrayals.' Minneapolis StarTribune
'Starck inventively imagines Old Testament stories within a contemporary setting . . . the biblical motifs of pairs, exodus, exile, prophecy, and hope echo strongly. Starck's bright voice should hold particular appeal for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Sara Gruen.' Publishers Weekly
'Starck uses themes from the faith-based tale to illustrate human frailty and the power of hope . . . the writing is absorbing and characters as colorful as the setting is bleak.' Milwaukee Magazine
