There is a gift in every day


This novel "All That Matters" by Jan Goldstein is mostly about Jennifer. The Zuckerman family are the secondary characters who help her cope with chronic depression. There is her father, Barry, her grandmother, Gabby, and her grandfather and her mother, Lili, whom we never meet. Jennifer's mother dies accidentally. The novel is heartbreaking simply because the father is really unavailable. He has a new wife and a new baby. It is also heartbreaking because there are so many losses experienced by each character. For example, there is the Holocaust family stories that Gabby has held in her heart for so long. I am learning that each Holocaust story is dramatically different in some way. Each person who has experienced it seems to come away with more new ways for their present friends and relatives to cope with life today.

There are many jaunts throughout the novel. Gabby's life story takes her back to Poland. Jennifer's story begins in California. While Jennifer visits with Gabby, her grandmother, there is a sorting out of life's struggles. Gabby becomes the very able therapist for her grand-daughter. These casual psychological sessions will lead to New England trip. Jennifer's permanent home is in New York.

One of the major lessons from Gabby's lips for Jennifer is that the ones we love are not eternally gone from us. We carry their spirits with us daily. Some times it feels as though there is a hearing of that mother or father's voice guiding us along. In this instance, Gabby still hears from and feels the presence of her husband and her daughter. She promises Jennifer that her mother, Lili, is still with her and she will remain with her after death. All of those people reside inside of us. We walk with them daily. They are us. We are they. We are one flesh.

Jan Goldstein has shown that there is no need to feel a gap between generations. Gabby does a couple of almost absurd actions all in the name of love for her grand-daughter. I think it is impossible to read this book without examining your inner life. By the way, the novel is small. www.jangoldstein.com

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