In the Middle of All This

Starred review from June 24, 2002
This third novel by Leebron (Out West; Six Figures) tells the story of Martin Kreutzel, an anthropology professor at a small Pennsylvania college. Happily married and the father of two children, Martin watches his life collapse around him when he learns that his beloved sister, Elizabeth, is ill with cancer. Suddenly, Martin, the scientist whose preferred method is that of the "observer-participant," can neither observe nor participate, unable to cope with his sister's imminent death, unable to decide "whether mercy meant denial or acceptance." When his sister's husband, Richard, disappears, Martin flies to London to be with Elizabeth, leaving behind a house falling apart and a college struck by a series of tragedies. Shortly after Martin's arrival, Richard mysteriously returns and whisks Elizabeth off to an undisclosed location, leaving Martin in an empty house, futilely awaiting their return. In his sister's absence, Martin must learn to accept not only the loss of her life but the validity of his. Leebron tells most of his open-ended story from Martin's viewpoint, providing an uneasy glimpse into the psyche of a man torn apart, a man forced to acknowledge grim realities and to realize that "life in the middle of all this" meant that "life was
the middle of all this." Leebron's exceptional skills as a storyteller and observer of humanity produce a novel both tremendously enjoyable and grandly poignant, a novel almost anthropological in its keen examination of man's fate. Agent, Amanda Urban.(Aug.)Forecast:Leebron has yet to achieve the readership of comparable writers like Richard Ford or Raymond Carver, but this novel should give him a modest boost.

September 1, 2002
Leebron's new work is being compared to works by Richard Ford and Raymond Carver, though he may be more reminiscent of the former than the latter. His third novel (after Out West and Six Figures) focuses on a man caught in strong, eddying currents who seems to want to control them but cannot and must either make a separate peace or be drawn under. Martin Kreutzel teaches college in a small Pennsylvania town, where his house is leaking, his children seem to be normal, and his colleagues are facing such vicissitudes as a spouse's substance abuse and a student's suicide. His main concern at the moment is his London-based sister, Elizabeth, a vigorous woman who is dying of cancer. When Elizabeth's husband disappears for a few days, Martin rushes to London to be with her. After Martin returns home, Elizabeth herself disappears, presumably to make her own peace with her foreshortened future. Leebron is an engaging writer, and it remains to be seen if he will find a larger audience. Recommended for literary fiction collections.-Harold Augenbraum, Mercantile Lib. of NY

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2002
Martin and Lauren have two precocious children and tenure-track positions at a small Pennsylvania college. In what should be bright years in their life they are faced with tragedies, both minor and major. A powerful professor in their department hates them, a student kills herself, their basement continues to flood, Martin's father has cancer, Martin gets two flat tires in one day, and his beloved sister Elizabeth has 40 tumors on her spine. Elizabeth lives in London, and when her mysterious husband, Richard, disappears, Martin goes to try to help her. Richard reappears and then disappears again, taking Elizabeth with him and throwing Martin and Lauren further into chaos and despair. It is Lauren who discovers during one of her recurring migraines that "life [is] the middle of all this." Leebron's novel is well crafted and he creates a palpable feeling of despair and pain in all of his major characters. Unfortunately, Richard is left a little too mysterious, leaving the reader with unsatisfied questions about Elizabeth's fate.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)