The Local News

by Miriam Gershow

Book Overview

When fifteen-year-old Lydia Pasternak's popular older brother Danny disappears late one summer night, she unwillingly becomes a celebrity in her community and an afterthought to her bereaved parents.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385527624
• ISBN13: 9780385527620
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
• Length: 374 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful!

As we work our way through the bookstore aisles..this is what we are searching for. A hidden gem..a book that will keep us up late at night yearning for more. Miriam Gershow's novel is just that--compelling, moving, told in such a believable voice. If you think the story of a teenager who goes missing is too dark--think again. This novel is certainly about loss, but in many ways, it is about the relationship of brother and sister, mother and daughter and the strange time that is adolescence. A+++++++

powerful, and promising

This account of the disappearance of a popular high school senior and its aftermath is recounted by his less-than-popular younger sister. From the outset, it has unlimited possibilities of characterization going for it: Danny and his friends- the athletes and flag girls- are set against the smart kids and loners who comprise his sister Lydia's world. Their parents are shocked into helplessness, and Lydia finds herself supported by Danny's old crowd, who view her as sort of an odd appendage of their lost friend. The story unfolds at a measured pace, as Lydia finds herself pulled between her normal life and this extraordinary event. It's her thought process that's the real subject of the book, and her mix of independence, longing, insight, and teenage insecurity that makes it so compelling. Some reviewers notice the beautiful language and disciplined writing skills that underpin The Local News. I was more impressed by its momentum, the way events are suggested and set in motion long before they occur. Nothing is left to chance here, and everything has its appropriate weight. A very powerful book.

Could not put it down

So well written, I could not put it down and at the end, left me wanting more. A great read!

Tragedy Strikes, News At Eleven

Ever wonder just what it feels like to be thrust into the local news for something you had no control over? In Gershow's debut novel, she explores that theme through the life of Lydia Pasternak, a bright and shy 15-year-old who's older brother, Danny, has disappeared. Now this might normally be a tragedy for everyone, but Lydia finds herself torn between grief, and the relief she feels since he was her tormentor at high-school. Lydia finds herself moving from the sidelines of the school's social life to its center, becoming part of Danny's crowd, while at the same time, her parents start leaving her behind in their grief. Lydia is drawn into the investigation herself by Denis, the private investigator hired by her parents to help find Danny, but, as time goes on, hope slides away. Danny's schoolmates and neighbors all lay some claim to a relationship with him, regardless of how tenuous, and Lydia finds herself distancing her from more and more of them. The denouement itself almost feels anti-climatic, not due to any lack of quality in the writing, but because of it. Like in real life, there is rarely an easily resolved story, but one leaving more questions than answers, but in The Local News, the ending is highly satisfying. Gershow has written a an impressive debut novel, giving a voice to Lydia and a tour of how tragedy reverberates through a family and the unwanted celebrity that follows, only exasperates it.

Bittersweet

This is a deeply moving story of a sister coming to terms with her brother's disappearance. It's a gripping read that could have been sombre, but due to the eloquence of Gershow's writing and the subtle humour that is added, it becomes an easy to read, bittersweet story. The author expresses the family's feelings of grief and bewilderment perfectly and her choice of wording is spot on. As I became more and more involved with the characters Gershow's story induced strong emotions in me. I wasn't expecting the brother's final outcome at all and found it to be a superb ending, albeit a harrowing one. This is a powerfully told story and I highly recommend it.