Customer Reviews

A Solitary Grief

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I think I have now read every book (please write more) that Bernice Rubens has written. I have loved every single one (except Brothers, which reads like it was written by someone else.) A Solitary Grief is Rubens at her best. Bizarre is a good word for this story, but not unrealistic as everything in this story could, and probably has happened to someone somewhere. A brave writer, she tackles the most difficult of topics, in this case Downs Syndrome and (I'm sure there's a medical name for it) a man completely covered with hair like an ape. Alistair Crown,a psychiatrist and the main character, deals with both of these afflictions in surprisingly different ways. The Downs Syndrome child is his own daughter, whose face he cannot bring himself to look upon. The hairy man is a patient who first repels him, then becomes his best friend, bringing him a strange peace from his daily torments. The ending is startling, yet through Rubens superb story telling, completely understandable and believable. Not for the faint of heart, this is strongly visual and rawly emotional story. One of her best!

Thoroughly human, the inability of a person to deal with something he thinks just not right, or the biggest disappointment of his life. Ultimately shocking, but in a very gripping way. Leaves you stunned.