Coming of Middle Age

Ada Calhoun and Jessica Elisheva Emerson explore the daring, messy, and exhilarating terrain of middle age in Crush and Olive Days. In Crush, a long-term marriage is upended when a wife confronts desire, heartbreak, and the liberating possibilities that emerge when labels no longer define a life. In Olive Days, a young mother in Los Angeles’ Orthodox Jewish community navigates passion, secrecy, and self-discovery, testing the boundaries between duty and desire. Both novels illuminate the unexpected, intoxicating, and sometimes chaotic journey of finding oneself — and love — later in life.