REVIEWS

"Sad and beautiful all in one"

Mishpacha is so well written—tragically sad and beautiful all in one—while its abiding optimism and strength are astounding. Silverman’s words are uplifting and give one hope that peace can prevail amid turmoil, both personal and political. I truly admire his courage.

"Honest and vulnerable"

I'm a big fan of Silverman's previous work, and this latest is no exception. In each of the three honest and vulnerable essays, he examines a relationship with a man in his life, his father, his lover, and his brother. He portrays all three as multidimensional, wise, idealistic, demanding, inflexible: qualities Silverman loves and admires, but also serving to act as barriers that perplex him, making it difficult to form trusting bonds. He works through his pain the way only someone with maturity and a capacity for self-examination can do. There is humor amid the heartache and an acceptance of the messy nature of family relationships. Though they offer no neat endings, these stories are wonderfully rendered.