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OVER THERE will be released on May 27, 2025. This is perfect timing, as it occurs directly following Memorial Day, a time when Americans reflect on the sacrifices made by those who died serving our country.
Building on the success of THREADBARE and IN THE HANDS OF WOMEN, OVER THERE, Book Three of the Gilded City trilogy, continues the Isaacson family's story. It takes three members to the European theater in the First World War. With three physicians and one nurse in the family, the irresistible pull to serve in the Medical Corps, caring for wounded American soldiers in Belgium and France was overwhelming. But none of them was fully prepared for the breadth of their emotions, new expanses of their medical abilities, and the indelible impact war would have on their families.
Researching the war years was a daunting task. With little knowledge of that time, my research was extensive, first broad, then finally narrowing down to the hospitals, medical innovations, and weaponry. I spent three solid months hitting the books before the opening scene came to me.
War is a daunting challenge for any writer. The key for me, was to ensure the setting was accurate, reflecting the realities of the war while bringing forward into center stage, the characters and their emotions. My adored Isaacson family loved their adopted country so much that three fought as soldiers (Jake, Martin, and Julian), and three served to care for the wounded (Ben, Eli, and Miriam). Their service, their sacrifice, is a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit.
My personal family is rich with veterans—two grandfathers who served in WWI and a father and his two brothers in WW2. Their experiences, though rarely spoken of, left a lasting impact. All of them had daring roles and fortunately returned to America alive but scarred in ways difficult to describe, distracted, mercurial tempers, and a thirst for whiskey. Those behaviors had a whiplashing effect on me as a child, excitement at their energy and cowering if I attempted to partake. Their stories have always been a part of my life and writing.
As I grew, reading and learning more about the lives of soldiers and pilots, I was struck by my father and uncles’ readiness to place their lives on the line for our country, its democracy, and freedom. I hope readers, through the story of the Isaacson family, will remember those who served and sacrificed to enable the expansive lives we live today.
Immersing my characters in war drew every imaginable emotion from me. As humans, we look away from horror, only able to process glimpses. Although it is incomprehensible man could unleash such ugly hatred, it remains a significant part of our human tapestry, tracing back to the beginning of our time. But I also found, when dusting off the ashes and debris, that acts of human kindness were everywhere and embedded in my novel, restoring my faith in the essential goodness of people.
Here're some of my jacket blurbs for Over There!
I am in awe of Jane’s courage, on and off the page. What a privilege to spend time in the world she has created in Over There. - Bess Kalb, Emmy-nominated comedy writer and the bestselling author of NOBODY WILL TELL YOU THIS BUT ME, a New York Times Editor’s Choice.
Bravery and daring, compassion and patriotism are the forces that push and pull Jane Loeb Rubin’s latest historical page-turner OVER THERE and tug at the heartstrings. It is a captivating tale of four medical professionals who join the American Hospital Corps and American Red Cross during WWI. Gut-wrenching and heroic, Rubin's rich characters draw you into a world where duty calls, love waits, and surgeons, medics, and nurses are the true heroes forced to redefine their lives while saving others. The price tag of war is devastating and heartbreaking – but in the end, Rubin’s evocative tale proves that love ultimately wins. – Lisa Barr, New York Times bestselling author of THE GODDESS OF WARSAW
Jane Rubin has truly captured the horror of war and the dedication and selflessness of the medical personnel who also sacrificed so much to care for the troops wounded in battle. With superb writing, she weaves a complex story of World War 1, through the eyes of four members of a family of extraordinary people. - Harriette Sackler, Agatha-Nominated Short Story Writer
A meticulously researched novel immersing the reader into the indelible impact of war on the soldiers and medical personnel in the war zone, as well as the families at home. In this emotional, engaging story, set during WWI, we follow the characters Rubin brought us in the first two books of her Gilded City Series. Read this evocative novel as a stand-alone but be prepared – you’ll be anxious to read the whole series.— Linda Rosen, best-selling author of THE EMERALD NECKLACE.
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