Price Tags

A Novel I stared at her, at this woman who was slowly weaving the tapestry of my destruction, and I found myself speechless. We sat like that for a few moments. Then I exploded. "NO!” I roared, spittle flying out of my mouth. I pounded on the table again; the vase of fake peonies fell over. "NO! I cannot accept that he took everything from me, everything, and just left. You must know where he went! You have to. You HAVE TO!” My voice cracked, and suddenly I was crying, great gulping sobs that choked and blinded me. I put my head down and let my tears seep into the old wood of the table. I was over. Uri had taken so much more than just money. He’d ruined my reputation, stolen my shalom bayis, hijacked my children’s respect for me. I was sure of all that. He’d also destroyed my entire sense of self. If I wasn’t in control of the situation, then who was I? Yoni Greenstark was always in control. Always. *** Yoni Greenstark, wealthy businessman, husband, and father, has come a long way from the dysfunctional home of his youth. Now at the pinnacle of financial success, Yoni and his family can well enjoy the good life—and enjoy it they do. Then one black day, the entire glittering empire that Yoni has built up, through years of bleeding and burning and earning and saving, comes crashing down, forcing Yoni and his wife Zahava to take a hard and painful look at their gold-plated identities, and at the beliefs they’ve interwoven with their indulgent lifestyle. On the other side of the globe, Rivki Greenstark struggles with her young student, whose challenges are eerily reminiscent of the childhood hurts of her husband Peretz. There’s a lot at stake here, and Rivki knows she must play her cards carefully… A fast-paced yet emotion-laden novel, Price Tags will take you on a journey into the hearts, minds, and pockets of a very true-to-life cast of characters. You’ll find yourself tensing with their suspense, tearing up at their hurts, and feeling relief at their victories. This book will provide you with a high-level reading experience on which you can’t put a price tag…   By Ariella Schiller