The Columbarium

by Emily Gallo

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

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Pub Date Oct 09 2015 | Archive Date Jan 18 2016

Description

Where can you find a cookie jar in the shape of a baseball filled with the ashes of an 84-year-old Chinese woman or a cardboard take-out carton with the remains of a 350-pound, agoraphobic pot-dealer? The Columbarium is the backdrop for peering into the eccentric lives of some of the dead, as well as of the people they left behind. Jed, a Jonestown survivor, takes a job fixing up the columbarium and ultimately comes to terms with his past and his own psychological demons. When the columbarium is vandalized, the mourners and Jed band together to preserve the memories of their loved ones, and in the process, they understand that belonging and connecting to others is what gives life meaning. A house for the dead becomes a venue for celebrating life.

Where can you find a cookie jar in the shape of a baseball filled with the ashes of an 84-year-old Chinese woman or a cardboard take-out carton with the remains of a 350-pound, agoraphobic...

A Note From the Publisher

Author is available for interviews, blog tours, autographed book giveaways, contests, and book club discussions. Print copies are available upon request.

Advance Praise

A review of The Columbarium in the Chico Enterprise-Record
http://www.chicoer.com/article/NA/20151107/FEATURES/151109767

"The Columbarium" is all booked up so make your reservations now!!!By Lena A. on November 9, 2015Format: Kindle EditionI loved "Venice Beach" where it was impossible to ignore the mysteriously likable yet tainted character of Jed. In "The Columbarium", Jed becomes the focal character surrounded by Emily Gallo's signature cast of offbeat and compelling characters. Jed proves himself to be an underdog worthy of rooting for as he works hard, shows vision and interacts compassionately with the other castaways. The Columbarium setting of the book is fascinating unto itself and I found myself wondering if there were "vacancies" in this esteemed San Francisco final resting place. Emily Gallo creates a lively and satisfying read in this new novel. I wonder which character will be the focal point in the next sequel to a blossoming series of delightful novels.

A Well Written NovelBy L. Safian on November 9, 2015Format: Kindle Edition Verified PurchaseI just finished reading, "The Columbarium". After reading "Venice Beach", I was eager to read this sequel. I couldn't put it down. The plot was very easy to follow, and the characters were very real. Being Jewish, I especially was able to relate to the Jewish foods, Jewish customs, and Yiddish expressions mentioned in the story.Although I consider myself a slow reader, I finished it in one day. I highly recommend, "Venice Beach" and this sequel, The Columbarium". Emily Gallo is an excellent writer and I look forward to reading her next novel.

Great readBy Sue Chappman on November 9, 2015Format: Paperback Verified PurchaseGreat read for sure. I loved the quirkiness of the characters and how they intertwined into a fascinating tapestry of people's lives. Great imagery and a fun read full of heart.

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Author Bio:
I view my life in 3 stages. Emily Kaufman was the girl growing up in Manhattan in the fifties and sixties. She went to Clark University in Worcester, Mass and lived in San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Seattle doing the hippie/peace/love/protest thing in the sixties and seventies. Emily Saur lived in Northampton, Mass. and Davis, CA and was the more conventional wife, mother of two, and elementary school teacher in the eighties, nineties and early 2000s. Emily Gallo married David who is a professor emeritus of economics, moved to Chico, CA, and retired from teaching in 2006. I started writing screenplays and television and moved into novels. David, Gracie (our Schiller hound) and I now divide our time between two and a half acres of gardens, orchards, and cats and a 750 square foot condo on the beach in Carpinteria, CA.

Her first novel, Venice Beach, was published in January. An unlikely friendship develops between a cantankerous Irish writer and a homeless African American on the Venice Beach boardwalk when they discover a common link to the Jonestown massacre

Author Bio:
I view my life in 3 stages. Emily Kaufman was the girl growing up in Manhattan in the fifties and sixties. She went to Clark University in Worcester, Mass and lived in San Francisco...

Available Editions

EDITION	Paperback
ISBN	9781507591154
PRICE	$12.95 (USD)

Additional Information

Average rating from 5 members

Featured Reviews

Rosemary S, Librarian

Jed was a child when his family was killed in the Jonestown massacre; he barely escaped with his life. He’s spent most of his life drifting from one place to another and now he’s landed a job at the Columbarium, a place where the cremated remains of loved ones reside alongside mementos of their lives. Jed has been hired to make some much needed repairs to the building, so that family and friends will have a pleasing place to visit their departed loved ones. It’s a job, and Jed needs a job, but it’s not until the Columbarium is broken in to and vandalized that he realizes what a unique and special place he works in. I confess I didn’t know what a columbarium was before I read this book. It seemed like an odd topic for a story, but when I read the first page of this book, all doubt fled my mind. Beautifully written, with heart and poignancy, this is a book you will never forget