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The Elected Member Paperback – July 1, 1991

by Bernice Rubens (Author)

5 customer reviews

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Norman is the clever one of a close-knit Jewish family in the East End of London. Infant prodigy; brilliant barrister; the apple of his parents' eyes... until at forty-one he becomes a drug addict, confined to his bedroom, at the mercy of his hallucinations and paranoia.

For Norman, his committal to a mental hospital represents the ultimate act of betrayal. For Rbbi Zweck, Norman's father, his son's deterioration is a bitter reminder of his own guilt and failure. Only Bella, the unmarried sister, still in her childhood white ankle socks, can reach across the abyss of pain to bring father and son the elusive peace which they both desperately crave.

The Elected Member

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Product Details

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Abacus (July 1, 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0349130221
ISBN-13: 978-0349130224
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.6 x 7.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,132,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1163 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Religious & Inspirational > Jewish
- #8778 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature
- #9252 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Family Saga

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Top Customer Reviews

Tragic fall of a family

By Tyler on December 16, 2003

Format: Paperback

Bernice Rubens' novels are difficult to find here in America but are definitely worth reading.
The Elected Member is about the Zweck family, a well-to-do Orthodox Jewish family in England, and how it slowly disintegrated because of their firm hold onto their culture. The novel centers on the eldest son Norman who once was a top lawyer, but had to be admitted to a mental instituion after suffering a nervous breakdown. But what causes his breakdown? Was it his parents who simply hold onto him too tightly? His 2 sisters whom he committed crimes of the heart against? Rubens expertly transport us to the Zwecks' family past and slowly reveals how past mistakes can come back to haunt everyone in a family.

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A worthy winner of the Booker Prize

By Darryl R. Morris on March 21, 2011

Format: Paperback

This Booker Prize winning novel about a close-knit but dysfunctional Jewish family is set in the East End of London in the 1960s. Norman Zweck, the golden son of a rabbi and his late wife, whose promising career as a barrister has been derailed by drug use and mental illness brought on by his mother's incessant demands and his personal failings, is slowly becoming unhinged -- again. He spends his days in his parents' old bedroom, locked away from his father and younger sister, popping amphetamine pills in a futile attempt to keep his demons at bay. His father and younger unmarried sister Bella, who deeply love Norman but fear his ever more worrisome outbursts, work together to place him in a mental institution, in a last ditch effort to get him back to his old self.

As he recuperates in the institution, the three members of the family, and Norman's estranged sister Esther, reflect on how they reached this critical point. Past actions, indiscretions, and tragic decisions haunt each of them, but none more than Norman. The Zuckers attempt to reconcile their differences once and for all, as Norman descends further into madness and as his father's health begins to fail.

"The Elected Member" was a enjoyable read, filled with humor despite its tragic elements, and hope in the face of despair and crisis.

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'two sad unmarried daughters...and in another room his broken son'

By sally tarbox on June 23, 2012

Format: Paperback

The Elected Member of this novel is Norman Zweck, the cherished high-achieving son of a Jewish family in 1960s London. But the book opens with him addicted to amphetamines, his legal career in tatters as he hallucinates.
His experiences in a mental hospital unfold and with them we come to understand how he got to this point; family secrets and a tragedy that scarred him for life.
Both moving and humourous, this is an interesting and unique work.

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Great for a book club

By Nancy Riebeling on October 27, 2010

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

We just read this book in our book club and we are all pleasantly surprised at what great discussion it generated. While reading the book, one can get a sense that parallel plots are orbiting the primary plot all the time but you never can quite put your finger on exactly what they are. As a group we all picked up on different concepts that once someone said it we would agree at how right on the person was and how we didn't come up with it on our own. After the discussion we all wanted to read the book again with our new insight into the book.