BY HOPE KATZ GIBBS
“WE WRITE to connect, and
we connect through stories,”
believes poet Elizabeth
Poliner, author of As Close to
Us As Breathing, this
month’s book buyer’s pick.
It’s an epic tale that reveals
the heart and soul of a
Jewish family that spends
decades coping with the death of its youngest
member, Davy, in the summer of ;;;;.
Writing the book was a six-year journey of
self-discovery, Poliner tells The Connection from
her home in Roanoke, Virginia.
“I had a certain fear of writing a novel,”
admits the Hollins University creative writing
teacher, who previously penned What You Know
in Your Hands, a poetry collection; Sudden Fog, a
poetry chapbook; and Mutual Life & Casualty, a
collection of linked stories. “I worried if I was up
to the task on a technical level as a fiction writer.”
Poliner eventually let go of her fears, and
readers are the better for her diligence. This
tightly woven tale is a page turner.
In the first sentence we learn of Davy’s death
from his then-;;-year-old sister, Molly Syrkin, the
narrator of the ;;;-page book. She provides sharp
observations of her clan, which summers in their
inherited cottage at Connecticut’s “Bagel Beach,”
a popular destination for Jewish families.
This is an era of traditional expectations,
which relax during the weekdays when Molly’s
beautiful but volatile mother, Ada Leibritsky,
and her aunts, Vivie and Bec, are in charge of
Molly; her brothers, Howard and Davy; and
their book-smart cousin, Nina.
But, as Molly explains, “Shabbos was soon to
arrive, which meant the men would be return-
ing, and the sisters, so entwined with each other
during the week, would unravel and split, like
branches on a tree.”
Although the details of Davy’s death aren’t
revealed until the book’s end, Poliner moves the
story back and forth through time as she
unpacks its impact on each family member.
“Because most everybody in the family has
something to do with the way that the tragic
events of Davy’s accident unfold, they feel
responsible, and as a result their lives are radically changed by it,” Poliner explains. “In my
mind, it isn’t so much what happens as how the
event happens, and to understand that, you
really have to understand the characters.”
The former D.C. attorney says she spent
years developing the characters in her mind
before she even began writing.
“It was like a puzzle, and I just kept trying to
put it together,” she adds. “The whole thing went
hand in hand, and the more complex the story
got, the more complex each chapter got. In fact,
there isn’t a single chapter that focuses on just
one character, so it’s a collective story. And
while I thought I did a good job thinking it all
through ahead of time, the difference between
the first draft and the last draft is night and day
in terms of my feel for the characters and how
developed they became.”
In addition to her intimacy with the charac-
ters, Poliner has a deep appreciation for the
taste and feel of the setting. Her grandmother
had a cottage on Bagel Beach, and it’s where her
parents met as teenagers.
Still, she couldn’t help but worry: Would the
story appeal to readers?
“While I was writing the book, I was thinking of the characters and the structure and getting it all to congeal,” Poliner says. “Then,
finally, it is done and it goes out into the world,
and you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Fortunately, the response has been extraordinary. “People feel for these characters, and
that’s the manifestation of what writing is all
about,” Poliner says. “I am thrilled that this
story touches people’s hearts.” C
Hope Katz Gibbs spent summers growing up as a
Jewish girl on the beaches of Margate, New Jersey.
PENNIE’S PICK
FAMILY DYNAMICS, for better
or worse, have always fasci-
nated me. I grew up happy,
with a drama-free mom. It’s
through books that I dip into
the foreign worlds of tragedy,
secrets and familial power
plays. This issue’s book buyer’s
pick, Elizabeth Poliner’s As
Close to Us As Breathing, is a
great example of the kind of
book that spirits readers away
into a different family’s reality.
This saga shows how a
tragedy can shape multiple
generations over decades.
Molly, the narrator, who is 12
when an accident happens, is
part of a cast of characters
who are fully fleshed out, add-
ing to just how real the story
and these people feel.
As Close to Us As Breathing
(Item #1130259) is available now
in most Costco warehouses.
For more book picks,
see page 51.
—Pennie Clark Ianniciello,
Buyer, books
Elizabeth Poliner
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
Elizabeth Poliner’s novel was
a journey of self-discovery
Breathing lessons
S
A
N
DY
KAVALI
ER
Costco has 50 copies of Elizabeth Poliner’s
As Close to Us As Breathing with signed book
plates to give away. To enter, go to costcocon
nectionbookgiveaway.com.
NO PURCHASE, PAYMENT OR OPT-IN OF ANY KIND IS
NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPS TAKES.
Purchase will not improve odds of winning. Sweepstakes
is sponsored by Costco Wholesale, 1045 Lake Drive,
Issaquah, WA 98027. Open to legal residents of the U. S.
(except Puerto Rico) who are age 18 or older at the time of
entry. One entry per household. Entries must be received
before the March issue is available online, which will happen
around February 26, 2017. Winners will be randomly selected
and noti;ed by mail on or before April 1, 2017. The value of
the prize is $15.99. Void where prohibited. Winners are
responsible for all applicable federal, state and local taxes.
Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries
received. Employees of Costco or Hachette Book Group and
their families are not eligible.
SIGNED BOOK GIVEAWAY
ters, Poliner has a deep appreciation for the
taste and feel of the setting. Her grandmother
Still, she couldn’t help but worry: Would the
“While I was writing the book, I was thinking of the characters and the structure and get-finally, it is done and it goes out into the world,
Fortunately, the response has been extraordinary. “People feel for these characters, and
that’s the manifestation of what writing is all
about,” Poliner says. “I am thrilled that this
