The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights

Zeldis (Not Our Kind) highlights the complex relationships between three women in 1924 Brooklyn. Newly married Catherine Berrill becomes upset each month when she discovers she is not yet pregnant. One day, to distract from her disappointment, she takes a walk and encounters a dress shop run by new Brooklyn residents Bea Jones and Alice Wilkerson. Bea, a Jewish woman who left Russia for New Orleans, recently closed her New Orleans bordello and brought her teenage ward Alice, an orphan, to start anew. Bea and Catherine’s bond brings on intense jealousy from Alice, who seems to resent their relationship and starts spending time away from the shop. By the third act, Zeldis reveals how Bea has kept a secret from Catherine, which explains Alice’s resentment, and Bea must decide whether to reveal her secrets, knowing that to do so might destroy her much coveted friendship with Catherine. Though a bit melodramatic by the end, Zeldis’s characters are well crafted and the narrative propulsive. Historical fiction fans will be drawn to this snapshot of an era less often portrayed in the genre. Agent: Susanna Einstein, Einstein Literary. (Dec.)