Novelist Stuart Rojstaczer talks Sept. 7 at Congregation Beth Israel

Geophysicist Stuart Rojstaczer talks about his new novel, “The Mathematician’s Shiva,” at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, at Congregation Beth Israel, 2200 Broadway.

His novel tells the story of what happens when an overflow crowd of elite mathematicians descends on Madison, Wis., to sit shiva (a Jewish ritual of honoring and mourning the dead) for the finest female mathematician of her day.

A wryly funny coming-of-middle-age story, the novel is a fresh look at family, genius, and the Jewish Eastern European immigrant experience following the darkness of World War II and Stalinism. For details on the free event, call 360-671-2626.

This story was originally published September 3, 2014 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Novelist Stuart Rojstaczer talks Sept. 7 at Congregation Beth Israel."