"The Invisible Wall"

Today's New York Times "Books of the Times" selection is Harry Bernstein's "Invisible Wall", a story of the author's Jewish childhood in post World War II Lancashire, England.

Reminiscent of Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes", Bernstein's father struggles with alcoholism, leaving his mother to struggle to provide for the family, financially and spiritually.

The Times writes:

"In this, his first book, the 96-year-old Mr. Bernstein tells his story, so remote in time, almost as though it were a fable, occasionally addressing the reader directly. (“I have told you before,” he begins one sentence, characteristically.) The setting, beautifully rendered, recalls early D. H. Lawrence, with mill hands trudging off to work early in the morning, their iron-shod clogs raising sparks on the cobblestones. In Mr. Bernstein’s hands, the small events of family life and the daily dramas on the street take on a shimmering, timeless quality."