A single mother dying from ovarian cancer writes a book of memories, hopes and wisdom for her six-year-old son. Her plan is for him to receive it when he is 18, so he can "open this book and read these pages and remember me." Readers should have tissues nearby. Yet Our Short History, Lauren Grodstein's fifth work of fiction, is funny as well as poignant, sad but not maudlin.
Manhattanites Karen Neulander and her son, Jake, are spending their summer across the country, on Lake Washington's lush Mercer Island, with her sister and her family, who will care for Jake after Karen dies. She's in remission, and so she has continued working as a political consultant for a narcissistic New York City council candidate--whose antics offer a welcome respite from tragic themes. In spite of Karen's carefully constructed plan for Jake's future, her bright little boy throws her a curve: he asks her to find his father. Her lover rejected Karen when she announced her pregnancy; she's told Jake his father left them. However, Jake persists, and Karen concedes and contacts David.
Against her hopes, and to Jake's delight, David is kind, thoughtful and smitten with the son he'd never met. Karen honors Jake's needs, struggling with her own sorrow while allowing father and son to grow closer. While a happy ending is impossible, Grodstein reaches the inevitable conclusion with Karen at peace, knowing she's given Jake everything she could. --Cheryl Krocker McKeon, manager, Book Passage, San Francisco