Novel Comments

Although not a particular fan of Erica Jong’s prose, I am an admirer of her willingness to take on the hard issues, as she did famously about 40 years age in her novel Fear of Flying.  This year she did it again with Fear of Dying. In this novel she deals with issues of aging as it relates to love, loss, sexuality, death itself, and, perhaps, rebirth.  We accompany her main character, Vanessa Wonderman (interesting name), as she goes through her parent’s last days, her 20 year older husband’s serious illness, becomes a grandmother for the first time, and contemplates what happens after death. While all this goes on, she gains in maturity and vitality. http://www.finebergpsychotherapy.com