From Publishers Weekly
This third novel by Leebron (Out West; Six Figures) tells the story of Martin Kreutzel, an anthropology professor at a small Pennsylvania college. Happily married and the father of two children, Martin watches his life collapse around him when he learns that his beloved sister, Elizabeth, is ill with cancer. Suddenly, Martin, the scientist whose preferred method is that of the "observer-participant," can neither observe nor participate, unable to cope with his sister's imminent death, unable to decide "whether mercy meant denial or acceptance." When his sister's husband, Richard, disappears, Martin flies to London to be with Elizabeth, leaving behind a house falling apart and a college struck by a series of tragedies. Shortly after Martin's arrival, Richard mysteriously returns and whisks Elizabeth off to an undisclosed location, leaving Martin in an empty house, futilely awaiting their return. In his sister's absence, Martin must learn to accept not only the loss of her life but the validity of his. Leebron tells most of his open-ended story from Martin's viewpoint, providing an uneasy glimpse into the psyche of a man torn apart, a man forced to acknowledge grim realities and to realize that "life in the middle of all this" meant that "life was the middle of all this." Leebron's exceptional skills as a storyteller and observer of humanity produce a novel both tremendously enjoyable and grandly poignant, a novel almost anthropological in its keen examination of man's fate.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Martin and Lauren have two precocious children and tenure-track positions at a small Pennsylvania college. In what should be bright years in their life they are faced with tragedies, both minor and major. A powerful professor in their department hates them, a student kills herself, their basement continues to flood, Martin's father has cancer, Martin gets two flat tires in one day, and his beloved sister Elizabeth has 40 tumors on her spine. Elizabeth lives in London, and when her mysterious husband, Richard, disappears, Martin goes to try to help her. Richard reappears and then disappears again, taking Elizabeth with him and throwing Martin and Lauren further into chaos and despair. It is Lauren who discovers during one of her recurring migraines that "life [is] the middle of all this." Leebron's novel is well crafted and he creates a palpable feeling of despair and pain in all of his major characters. Unfortunately, Richard is left a little too mysterious, leaving the reader with unsatisfied questions about Elizabeth's fate.
Marta SegalCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
