Fic­tion

Abe Gilman’s Ending

Glenn Frank
  • Review
By – November 7, 2011

This nov­el, Glenn Frank’s first, is the sto­ry of a man and a boy who live in dif­fer­ent places and dif­fer­ent eras. Each faces his own strug­gles. Abe Gilman is an impa­tient but com­plex old man now liv­ing in a long-term care facil­i­ty. He spends his days think­ing of his spir­it­ed wife, whom he adored and who has died. Elie Wasser­man is a sen­si­tive young man search­ing for knowl­edge of his father, as he falls in love with a young woman who has been promised to anoth­er. The read­er is vac­il­lat­ed between the sto­ries, between love for fam­i­ly and love for strangers, and between the mem­o­ries and long­ings of each man. 

Each sto­ry is touch­ing and thought­ful­ly told. A clever and sur­pris­ing lit­er­ary device weaves them togeth­er. Abe’s and Elie’s expe­ri­ences, hopes and, ulti­mate­ly, choic­es, are painful, beau­ti­ful, and deeply inspiring. 

Bruce Shapiro lives in New Jer­sey with his wife and two chil­dren, and is a vice pres­i­dent and legal coun­sel at a multi­na­tion­al phar­ma­ceu­ti­cal company.

Discussion Questions