Sleepless Nights [Hardcover]

Andrew Bergman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 1994

A provocative look at a family's psychological underside chronicles the fortunes of a Jewish family in which the parents are Holocaust survivors, centering on the incestuous relationships that develop between the son and his mother and his sister.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The underside of a seemingly refined and respectable German-Jewish family living in Manhattan is trenchantly observed in this novel from Bergman, a mystery author ( Hollywood and Levine ) and screenwriter ( Blazing Saddles ), who here gives new dimensions to the term "dysfunctional family." Narrator Robby Weisglass is only 12 in 1955 when his 22-year-old sister Carol, a lingerie model, seduces him, and it isn't much later that his mother, who has been openly provocative for years, walks into his room and initiates sex. Thirty years pass and Robby, now an admired professor of history at Columbia and a 20-year veteran of psychotherapy, is deeply ambivalent toward his family, riddled with guilt and unable to form lasting relationships. The author approaches his theme of incest in a convincingly analytical fashion, with much introspection by the promiscuous Carol and long sessions on the psychiatrist's couch for Robby; as children of Holocaust survivors, they have special problems to grapple with. Throughout, Bergman uses a biting wit and a firm knowledge of Jewish family dynamics to bring out the best--and the worst--in the Weisglass menage. A mordant glimpse of the family's generational and cultural gaps is rendered when, in 1951, they all lunch in the crowded but sedate dining room of a "gentile" resort. Carol declares in delight, "This is real America"--to which her mother retorts, "And that's so wonderful?" Black humor, keen insight and an uncompromising eye make for fine reading here.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Bergman wrote Blazing Saddles , but this angst-ridden tale of Robby Weisglass and his family is as far from the West as one can get. The book takes Rob from age 12, in 1955, to age 46, when he first becomes a father. In between he sees his psychiatrist for over 20 years, becomes a professor at Columbia, loses the girl he loves to leukemia, and has incestuous relationships with his sister, Carol, and his mother. Carol, gorgeous and sexually overcharged, introduces him to sex when he is 12. His mother, an overprotective Jewish immigrant who came to this country in the late 1930s, makes the Holocaust experience an excuse for her behavior. The father is a silent observer of this dysfunctional family. Robby's lifelong trauma finally resolves itself after his mother's death and his marriage to one of his students. Though the subject has been almost done to death, this is a riveting novel about incest, unusual in books about Jewish families. The characters are beautifully drawn and so true-to-life that it hurts. Recommended for all collections, this should be particularly popular in libraries with Jewish patrons.
- Barbara Maslekoff, Ohioana Lib., Columbus
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (June 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556114001
• ISBN-13: 978-1556114007
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,163,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Haunting Book, February 23, 2009

By 

Bonnie Brody "Book Lover and Knitter" (Port St. Lucie, FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sleepless Nights (Hardcover)

This is a very interesting and haunting novel about incest in the family of holocaust survivors. It is told from the vantage point of the abuse survivor. The story vacillates between past and present as a young man tries to make sense of himself and his dysfunctional family. His personal journey helps him make sense of himself and his dysfunctional family.

How he finds self-acceptance and develops an ability to love without fear is the theme of this book. Its portrayal of jewish guilt is very accurate and the dialogue is exceptional.

I highly recommend this book.