By Lauren Goldstein
Algonquin Books
March 21, 2017
Our Short History is a heartbreaker of a book.
It’s premise: a single mom is dying of ovarian cancer, leaving behind a six-year-old son. The son has never known his dad, who, upon being told of the pregnancy said he never wanted to have kids. The mom, Karen Neulander, agrees to let her son, Jake, meet his dad, Dave, when Jake insists. Dave is thrilled to meet Jake and says he assumed Karen had had an abortion. He’s more than a little upset he missed the first six years of his son’s life, while Karen is upset Dave might swoop in and take Jake away. Jake and Dave bond instantly and Karen is even more threatened.
Our Short History is written as a memoir of those months from mother to son, with the intent that Jake read it when he’s an adult. It takes place in real time, so events unfold for readers as they unfold for Karen.
Here’s an excerpt that shows the technique: “Jake, I do realize at this point in the book that I’m not giving you as much advice as I meant to – in fact, when I originally started planning this project, I was thinking I terms of something that would intertwine autobiography and advice, so not only would you learn all about me, but you’d also learn whatever wisdom I have to pass on to you. I suppose, when I started this, I thought I’d have more wisdom. But here it is now, six in the evening, a long day, dinner almost ready in the house across the lawn, and I’m right where I was two weeks ago.”
It’s a cool writer’s technique and very enjoyable for readers, who of course feel like yelling at Karen throughout that Dave is Jake’s dad and only has his best interests at heart.
Lauren Grodstein has written several other novels, including The Explanation for Everything, which was a Washington Post book of the year and A Friend of the Family, which was a New York Times bestseller. She lives in New Jersey and Our Short History takes place both in New York and on the West Coast in Seattle. Vancouver even plays a bit part – at one point Karen fantasizes about running away to Vancouver to die alone.
Our Short History includes sub-plots about politics (Karen is a political campaign consultant), family dynamics and Hungarian Jews who immigrate to the United States. It’s a page-turner: I read the entire 342 pages in one day while on vacation.
Neulander is clearly an accomplished writer of fiction. Readers will devour this story, despite the universal tragedy – mother leaves child too soon – at its heart.
tracy.sherlock@gmail.com
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