A LONG ISLAND STORY - Tapa dura

An acute portrait of the uneasiness and claustrophobia of family life . . . Engrossingly readable * * The Times * * What Gekoski brings . . . is subtlety and restraint, crafting an affectionate portrait of Jewish family life across generations. A quiet story, it's economically told and freighted with resonant themes * * Mail on Sunday * * An engrossing read . . . An authentic portrayal of a particularly captivating time and place * * Financial Times * * An affectionate portrait of the author's family, drawing on Gekoski's childhood in America . . . What the novel captures are the passing moments, the days we live in * * Spectator * * In A Long Island Story Gekoski turns a forensic eye on the subtlest nuances of family life and, in the process, introduces us to the fears, desires, and compromises of a generation. This is a deeply honest portrait of life, the big and the small of it, the sorrows and the joys -- REBECCA F. JOHN, Costa-shortlisted author of THE HAUNTING OF HENRY TWIST A consummate evocation of 1950s America. Both Joycian in its highly readable naturalism and Lawrentian in its candour and complexity, A Long Island Story is as absorbing as it is compelling -- LAURA CARLIN, author of THE WICKED COMETH A Long Island Story is an enjoyable read. Gekoski has a good feel for the place and time he grew up in and there's enough suspense to keep you turning the pages * * The Jewish Chronicle * * Anyone who remembers the McCarthy era, the Red Scare, and its repercussions for everyday people will be unable to put this book down * * Library Journal * * PRAISE FOR DARKE: I couldn't stop reading. Gekoski puts words together with a sure touch and deep craftsmanship -- PHILIP PULLMAN A brilliantly vivid creation . . . life-affirming and life-shattering * * The Herald * *

It is 1953, a heat wave is sweeping across America and the Grossmans - Ben, Addie and their two children -are moving their lives from the political heart of Washington DC to suburban Long Island. Benny was a successful lawyer in the Department of Justice, but all that has come tumbling down. With the McCarthy era of paranoia, persecution and propaganda at its height, his past has come back to haunt him, forcing him to pack up his family and leave the capital behind. With their future uncertain, life in Long Island starts to open old wounds for Ben and Addie, both start to wonder if they were meant for more, whether their future might look different than they planned, and whether their marriage - their family - is worth fighting for . . . A Long Island Story is a portrait of a marriage in crisis, of a unique and fascinating period in US history and of a seemingly perfect family fighting their demons behind closed doors.