June 2012

Many of you may remember Joshua Henkin’s book of a few years ago, MATRIMONY, which was eagerly embraced by both book clubs and readers. Just out this week is THE WORLD WITHOUT YOU, which is set over a few days around the 4th of July in 2005 as the Frankel family gathers at their vacation home in Lenox, MA, to commemorate the unveiling of their son/brother Leo’s tombstone on the first anniversary of his death.  Leo, the only son, was a journalist who loved adventure, and his death while on assignment in Iraq was devastating. The book opens with his parents awaiting the arrival of the rest of the family, and we learn the bombshell of a secret that they plan to share over the next few days.

The sisters and Leo’s widow  come in from New York, D.C, northern California and Israel, and, as is apt to happen when grown families gather, moments from the past haunt and are re-lived with sibling rivalries. Old stories ratchet up the emotions already present on this somber occasion. Shadowing all these events is Leo, whose absence is acute and whose death has changed them all. I love stories that take place within a few days like this; they prove to be really wonderful vacation reads as they are driven by a condensed period of time, much like vacations are. Joshua does a great job of describing each character, so we are clear on who we are hearing from at all times. No easy feat.

When I finished it in January, I wanted to talk about it with others and spent days telling the story of the Frankel family to people. There are many tangents for conversation that ensure this will be a book people will talk about --- and prove it’s a perfect book group title.