At several points in the novel “A Song I Knew by Heart,” author Bret Lott refers to a character straining under the sheer effort of putting a feeling into a few words — “the work of it,” he writes. The story, which is a modern retelling of the biblical Ruth and Naomi narrative, might as well be called “the work of it,” because of its focus on the painful but purposeful process of grieving.

The novel has the bare bones of the biblical story: Naomi’s husband has died in the home they established, far from where they were born. As the novel opens, her son, Mahlon, also has just died, leaving her daughter-in-law Ruth a widow. When Naomi decides to return to the land of her birth — in this case, the American South — Ruth follows her. But unlike the biblical version, which dispatches with the deaths in a matter of sentences, the novel is a full meditation on loss, with grief treated like something that rolls out slowly, like the long journey home that Ruth and Naomi bravely make together.

The story is about rebuilding and redemption, both literally and figuratively. Curiously — though Naomi is a life-long, if struggling, Christian — the novel does not mention any consciousness of the Book of Ruth in its many religious references. In Lott’s world, the emptiness that Naomi faces is reflected even in the absence of a biblical story that might have provided her some comfort. Luckily — and to the surprise of Naomi and Ruth — comfort, and even God, will find them and bring them both home.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount