by Chernoff Maxine ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 1996
An intimate study of love and friendship, and the stoic resignation with which we sometimes do without both, this latest from poet Chernoff (Signs of Devotion, 1993, etc.) introduces four memorable characters on a quest for human compassion. Irena, a recently arrived immigrant from Poland, leaves her mathematician past to explore the new world of Chicago with eyes both bright and bitter. She has found work caring for the aged Harrison Waters, a once-renowned jazz pianist left sad and wistful because of crippling arthritis. Moments of the pair's lives are comfortingly exchanged: Irena talks of Josef, the lover she left behind in Warsaw, and Mr. Waters reminisces about his beloved wife Gwen. Further up in their posh Chicago high-rise, meanhwile, lives one of the more compelling characters of recent fiction: 79-year-old Jack Kaufman. Dying of cancer, Jack is cared for by the beautiful and elusive Elizabeth (fleeing memories too painful to admit), who meets Irena in the basement laundry room. Though the two become companions, sharing the details of their lives with old men, their friendship is that of exiles, built on mutual loneliness, not affection. Despite the dynamic of the women's relationship, the book's focus always gravitates back to Jack Kaufman. He relates the checkered history of his life to his estranged grandson Adam, who is videotaping this piece of Chicago history for his thesis. From Jack's meager beginning as a skinny Jewish kid on the streets, to his rise through the ranks of the criminal underworld during the Depression, to a final ascension placing him among the wealthiest businessmen of the city, Jack is a compelling slice of urban Americana. Though the plot eventually falters a bit, rushing everyone to Poland for the finale, it's only a slight flaw in a well-crafted story. Charismatic characters turn what might have been just a study in the solace of memories into an enjoyable and engaging novel.
Pub Date: May 15, 1996
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Coffee House
Review Posted Online: N/A
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1996
Categories: FICTION
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