First published 2016
A dying grandfather, loosened by painkillers and the approach of death, begins sharing long-buried family stories with his grandson. The old man recounts his journey from the Jewish neighborhoods of prewar Philadelphia through the battlefields of Germany during World War II. He speaks of his passionate but troubled marriage to an enigmatic woman scarred by her wartime experiences in France. His tales span decades and continents, from a Florida retirement community to a New York prison, from the early space program to the fading of American dominance. As the week unfolds, the grandson discovers a hidden history filled with madness, adventure, desire, and the weight of kept secrets. The stories reveal both the grandfather's shining dreams and his darker impulses, particularly his obsession with rockets and technology. At its heart, this is the story of a difficult love between two damaged people and the creative power that emerges from finally telling the truth after a lifetime of lies.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, war, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Germany, France, Florida, New York, Philadelphia
Period: Prewar, World War II, Early Space Program
430 pages · Hardcover · Harper
Content warnings: war