FICTION

We Are Gathered

by Jamie Weisman
Houghton Harcourt. Jun. 2018. 288p. ISBN 9781328793294. $24; ebk. ISBN 9781328793270. F
COPY ISBN
Elizabeth Gottlieb is getting married; and although her bridegroom isn't Jewish, the family has invited 150 guests to the celebration. This debut novel by memoirist Weisman (As I Live and Breathe), however, is not about Elizabeth but about several of the guests at the wedding. Elizabeth's grandfather has suffered a stroke yet muses on his past successes as he's pushed around in a wheelchair. A college roommate of Elizabeth's father, now an artist, has an unrequited crush on Elizabeth's mother. There is Carla, a close childhood friend with a disfiguring port wine stain on half of her face, who may never find love; and a great aunt, who is a Holocaust survivor reliving her experiences and searching the woods near the wedding ceremony for her murdered sister and the sister's lover.
VERDICT As the stories of the guests converge, readers are presented with the lives of both successful and unsuccessful but largely unhappy individuals. Weisman's ability to explore these troubled minds creates a multifaceted story of the difficulties people face.
Reviewed by Andrea Kempf, formerly with Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS , May 01, 2018
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Spiral and Other Stories
by Koch, Aidan
FICTION

Not in Love
by Hazelwood, Ali
FICTION

Heads Will Roll
by Winning, Josh
FICTION

The Year of What If
by Patrick, Phaedra
GRAPHIC NOVELS

Anna
by Oberländer, Mia
MEDIA

Finding Sophie
by Mahmood, Imran
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?