The Elected Member

By Bernice Rubens

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0349144346
• ISBN13: 9780349144344
• Release Date: February 2021
• Publisher: Abacus (UK)
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

Tragic fall of a family

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.