by Zoe Heller
First published 2010
Joel Litvinoff built his career defending radical causes, but a sudden stroke leaves him unable to speak or move as he once did. His wife Audrey watches their forty year marriage crack under the weight of his illness. Their daughter Rosa faces mounting pressure from her community to embrace orthodox Judaism fully. Middle daughter Karla finds herself drawn away from her failing marriage by temptation she never expected. Their son Lenny fights his own war against drug addiction, each day a battle between sobriety and surrender. As Joel lies recovering, each family member confronts choices that will reshape their lives. The stroke becomes a catalyst that forces the Litvinoffs to examine what they truly believe and what they are willing to sacrifice for those beliefs. Three siblings discover that the values their father fought for in courtrooms offer little guidance for the personal struggles that threaten to tear their family apart.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, social-issues, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, personal-growth
Setting: United States
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
347 pages · Paperback
Content warnings: addiction, mental-illness