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ksoles
May 19, 2011ksoles rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Zoe Heller is probably best known for her novel, "What Was She Thinking? Notes On A Scandal," which became an Oscar-nominated movie. But Heller's newest book, "The Believers," certainly deserves the same attention as it paints an insightful, multi-vocalic portrait of a dysfunctional New York family. The author describes the trials of the Litvinoffs after father Joel suffers a major stroke and ends up in a coma. A lawyer famous for his passionate defenses of political radicals, Joel leaves his caustic, disagreeable wife, Audrey, to handle his legacy. Also greatly affected by Joel's absence are his children: Karla, an overweight social worker trapped in an unhappy marriage; Rosa, a disillusioned revolutionary who finds herself strangely drawn to Orthodox Judaism; and Lenny, the adopted, heroin-addicted son. As the story unfolds, all the characters experience revelations, forcing them to discover who they are and who they want to be. Heller's prose is astute, imaginative and humorous, all the while drawing attention to the subtleties of human behaviour, relationships and faith.