Author: Michael Hoffman

ISBN: 1403369402

The following review was contributed by: Paul Lappen: CLICK TO VIEW Paul Lappen's Reviews 

Set in present-day Canada, somewhere near Toronto, this is the story of Len
Fishman. In his mid-40s, he has returned home after 25 years of aimless
wandering, mostly in Africa. He lives with his mother, in the house in which he
grew up, sleeping on a couch in what used to be his room.

Len discovers that Saul, his father, was an amateur philosopher who, perhaps,
was not totally faithful to Len's mother. Saul is now a patient at a local
geriatric center, suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Along the way, Len runs
into Ron Bloom, his old high school English teacher, now running for a seat on
the municipal council. Ron arranges a mini-class reunion with Len's classmates
who have stayed in the area. Ron gets elected, and becomes an advocate for the
youth of the town. His stay on the council is short; he is forced to resign
because of an inappropriate relationship with a student that happened 30 years
ago.

Why does Len stay in town? Is it to resume his discipleship with Mr. Bloom, who
encouraged him to become an English teacher (how he earned money while living
overseas)? Is it to recover his past via a girl he had a crush on in grade five?
Saul, his father, doesn't recognize him anymore, and wouldn't miss him if he
left.

This is another of those "quiet" stories that, by the end, turns into a really
good story. It could take place almost anywhere, and be about any family.