The Golden Willow

April 15, 2009
Harry and his wife Ruby married in 1935 and lived together for nearly 70 years before her death of leukemia. At 92 years old, profoundly lonely without his wife, Harry considered hastening his own demise until he started writing his novel, The Invisible Wall. Bernstein alternates between recollections of his marriage and his current life, offering vivid perspective on longevity, family life, and everyones search for meaning in life. He recalls a more-than-30-year-old golden willow outside the bedroom window of the retirement home where he lived with Ruby. For them the tree recalled memories of another tree in the Central Park of their youth. They lived for a while in the Village, a poor but creative life, until they moved to the suburbs and began raising their children. Bernstein recalls the strains of life through the Depression, World War II, the turbulent 1960s, and the various and sundry ups and downs of ordinary family life. Finally, he ponders the satisfaction of achieving his lifelong dream of becoming an author.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)