Joanna Hershon

A near-perfect chamber drama of grief, guilt, self-loathing, and privilege. 



Joanna Hershon’s story of middle-aged Sarah and Matthew’s fraught marriage—haunted by the specter of their daughter, Leda—brushes up against a strange encounter with a Czech man on a Brooklyn-bound subway train; a three-day weekend upstate with their estranged friends, Kiki and Arman (another couple having their own set of conflicts as new parents); and an armed assault in Prospect Park.

As these show more traumatic events collide and conflict with both past and present tensions, Hershon is able to build a highly convincing portrait of how absence is a marked presence in our lives, and how guilt can infect our interactions and relationships with those we love as well as with ourselves.

4.5 stars. Highly recommended. show less

So, I finished this book and have been pondering over the last few days. Why, did I like this book so much and why does it continue to echo in my thoughts. There are no big action scenes, actually very little action action at all. I didn't especially like nor did I dislike the characters. Yet, this story drew me in, and kept me there.

Two couples, once good friends attempt to reconcile when one of the couples has a young daughter. Twenty years have passed and when they knew each other before, show more the other couple had a young child. They arrive to spend the weekend together, both are hiding something from the other, and tension simmers due to this. There is as much meaning in what is unsaid as in what is said. There is so much going on under the surface.

The truth is, this is life. Messy, complicated, the pulling apart, the making of concessions. I could relate to this book, these characters. Dreams can turn into failures, opportunities lost. Hopes, heartbreaks, hope and expectations. People come and go, in this book and in our lives. We act out of character, do things we don't understand as one of the characters does in the book.

The writing is terrific, the dialogue flows naturally. A book that makes one think about if afterwards is not rare, but not common either. I just feel lucky when I find/ read one that does.

ARC from Edelweiss. show less

Aaron, Jack, and Lila are siblings. One horrible night, Jack falls and nothing is ever the same again. Aaron disappears, and Lila spends the next ten years looking for him.

*sigh* The more I read, the more of a book snob I become, and the harder it is to read mediocre storytelling. This is the author's debut novel and it's alright. There are moments when her attempts at deep, meaningful emotion actually work. Most of the time, however, it feels like she's just trying a little too hard. The show more end is slightly redeeming.

Food: that meal on the menu that really sells itself with luscious descriptions and a great glam shot, but when you get it, it's just okay. You wouldn't send it back and it filled your belly, but maybe you could have had something that would have been just a little better. show less

This book spans nearly five decades, traverses several countries and follows two generations. The first two-thirds follow Hugh, Ed and Helen-- their years through college, and the years following graduation as they learn to navigate adulthood and marriage and family. The last third mostly follows their daughters' as they begin their own lives.

Two young men meet while attending Harvard. Hugh Shipley comes from money, which really means nothing to him, and he's driven by a need to change the show more world somehow-- to make a difference. Ed Cantowitz was raised Jewish by a father who was an ex-boxer and a tough character. Ed covets what he doesn't have, and he desires money. On the surface, these two men couldn't seem more different. And yet they develop a relationship as close as brothers.

I think this is probably one of my favorite books ever! The characters were so richly drawn, you truly felt you knew them, understanding their motives and the baggage they carry through life. The story was realistic, and I don't think there was a single moment when I had to suspend disbelief, thinking "Yeah, right."

This story starts in 1962, and runs through 2010. It was fascinating to watch their lives progress over the years, to see how they changed, and yet how they remained the same. To see them through the eyes of their daughters. To view their parallel and yet opposing lives.

Wonderful writing, straight-forward content, rich characters. A simply brilliant novel!

My final word: This book was a full, rich story. Unadorned and engrossing, it gives a realistic portrayal of the lives of two men. I was constantly amazed at the details thrown in for the character development. Little twists and turns. Even things left out that leave you filling the blanks with little bits that you imagine happened-- things alluded to but never clarified. (There's a nice twist that my mind has decided to fill in, even though it was never even really alluded to.) What can I say? I just loved this book! show less