For forty years it was Nate and Angie, until her sudden death leaves Nate wondering who he is without her. Following intimations that seem to come from Angie, Nate, to everyone's surprise, goes to Jerusalem to find out why such a trip had been high on his religious wife's wish list-and carries with him the diary of his great-grandfather, who had made a Holy Land pilgrimage 118 years before. What had Great-Grandfather Nathanael experienced? What had Angie hoped to experience? And who is this person who signs his emails "Much love always, M"?

Nate's adventures in Jerusalem-becoming the pianist at a cathedral, filling in at a falafel stand, learning long-hidden family secrets, getting caught up in the region's conflict, and meeting Jael-raise questions familiar to any reader: Is it possible to run away from grief? What does it mean to be religious in this secular age? Can a person learn to see grace in small gestures? How does the past shape the present? What happens if the right person comes along at the wrong time?

Becoming Nathanael is an emotionally compelling novel about transformation in later life, the unexpected friendships that alter us, and the evocative power of a city layered with history.