Synopses & Reviews
Beginning with Milly and Charlie Diamond, a long-married couple facing the world hand in hand,
The Family Diamond lays bare the lasting imprint our families make on us—for better and for worse.
In these nine stories we see glimpses of our own families: when Charlie offers advice to his lovesick grandson; when a young man tries to repair his relationship with his estranged brother; and when siblings unexpectedly reunite at a hospital bedside. And when we meet up with Milly and Charlie again, in the final story, they have mysteriously regained their youth and are trying to explain to their friends—and to themselves—this unbelievable reversal of fortune.
Review
"Sparkling with wit, compassion, and sometimes whimsy, the vivid characters will not be quickly forgotten. . . . .Schwarzschild has a hit with his second work; the writing is polished well paced, and exceptional. Heartily recommended - it will leave the reader with a chuckle and a smile." ---Library Journal Library Journal
Review
"An achingly beautiful collection."—Peter Orner, author of The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo
Review
"Edward Schwarzschild is the most exciting young writer I've read, and The Family Diamond shows that he is a maven of the human heart."—Adam Johnson, author of Emporium and Parasites Like Us
Review
"Known for taking on controversial roles headfirst, it’s at its best in Edward Schwarzschild’s second book, The Family Diamond, a funny/sad collection of nine short stories set in Philly. . . . Deserves a standing ovation."--Daily Candy (Philadelphia edition) Daily Candy
Review
"Nothing is so difficult to write well as a realistic story about ordinary people. Schwarzschild . . . creates nine such stories here. He does it without trickery. He doesnt need fancy narrative footwork. No smoke. No mirrors. Nothing up the writers sleeve. Nothing on his sleeve, either, except for his heart. Schwarzschilds stories have great heart. And great art¬-art that is all but invisible. In prose so elegant and so transparent that you hardly notice it, these stories simply unfold before your eyes, compelling and utterly real."--Chronogram
Review
"The beautiful stories in this collection emerge like figures appearing in the dark. . . . But Schwarzschild writes about them with such wit and compassion that soon we not only recognize them, we see ourselves in their world." — Jonathan Rosen, author of The Talmud and the Internet
About the Author
Edward Schwarzschild is the author of Responsible Men, a San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year, a Book Sense Notable Pick, and finalist for both the Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Samuel Goldberg and Sons Foundation Prize for Jewish Fiction. He is an associate professor at the University at Albany, SUNY, and a fellow at the New York State Writers Institute.