First published 2013
Dr. Niels Berners practices plastic surgery in New York, but his professional skills cannot repair the damage his dysfunctional son has inflicted by walking away from their relationship. The Swiss surgeon finds himself attending meetings with four other parents who share his burden. Their children have vanished into jail cells or dangerous circumstances, leaving behind mothers and fathers who question everything they thought they knew about raising a family. The group gathers to share their stories and search for understanding in their suddenly quiet homes. Each parent carries wounds that run deeper than anything Berners encounters in his operating room. They speak of the distance that grew between generations, the moments when communication failed, and the silence that followed. Calisher weaves their individual narratives into a larger story about the particular pain of loving someone who chooses to disappear. The novel explores how these parents confront their altered lives and damaged self-worth while seeking connection with others who understand their loss.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: damaged-family, found-family
Setting: New York
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
127 pages · ebook · Open Road Media
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness