A Long Island Story

Description

It is 1953, a heat wave is sweeping across America and the Grossmans - Ben, Addie and their two children - are moving their lives from the political heart of Washington DC to suburban Long Island. With their future uncertain, life in Long Island starts to cause problems for Ben and Addie. Both begin to wonder if they were meant for more, whether their lives might look different than they planned, and whether their marriage - their family - is worth fighting for. A Long Island Story is a portrait of a couple in crisis, of a unique and fascinating period in US history and of a seemingly perfect family fighting their demons behind closed doors.

Rick Gekoski is a writer, rare-book dealer and academic. He has written several widely praised non-fiction books including Staying Up, Tolkien's Gown, Outside of a Dog and Lost, Stolen or Shredded. His debut novel Darke was published in 2017 when Gekoski was 72 years old and was shortlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award.

An acute portrait of the uneasiness and claustrophobia of family life . . . Engrossingly readable * * The Times * * What Gekoski brings . . . is subtlety and restraint, crafting an affectionate portrait of Jewish family life across generations. A quiet story, it's economically told and freighted with resonant themes * * Mail on Sunday * * An engrossing read . . . An authentic portrayal of a particularly captivating time and place * * Financial Times * * An affectionate portrait of the author's family, drawing on Gekoski's childhood in America . . . What the novel captures are the passing moments, the days we live in * * Spectator * * In A Long Island Story Gekoski turns a forensic eye on the subtlest nuances of family life and, in the process, introduces us to the fears, desires, and compromises of a generation. This is a deeply honest portrait of life, the big and the small of it, the sorrows and the joys -- REBECCA F. JOHN, Costa-shortlisted author of THE HAUNTING OF HENRY TWIST A consummate evocation of 1950s America. Both Joycian in its highly readable naturalism and Lawrentian in its candour and complexity, A Long Island Story is as absorbing as it is compelling -- LAURA CARLIN, author of THE WICKED COMETH A Long Island Story is an enjoyable read. Gekoski has a good feel for the place and time he grew up in and there's enough suspense to keep you turning the pages * * The Jewish Chronicle * * PRAISE FOR DARKE: I couldn't stop reading. Gekoski puts words together with a sure touch and deep craftsmanship -- PHILIP PULLMAN A brilliantly vivid creation . . . life-affirming and life-shattering * * The Herald * * A wondrous book with two fathers, Kingsley Amis and Dante -- SEBASTIAN BARRY