The Boy Who Went Away

Sad, and yet at times almost hilarious, "The Boy who went away" sheds new light on the life of troubled families. Absolutely remarkable. A must read

This is a touching and beautifully written book about a troubled young man and his family. The author succeeds brilliantly at two very difficult things: 1) he manages to write believably from the point of view of a disturbed teenager, making him both sympathic and--at times--difficult to take; 2) he creates an honest portrait of motherly love, with all its hopes and despairs. It's one of the best characterizations of a mother in modern American fiction, in fact. I highly recommend this book.

The author pulls off two very difficult things with this intriguing and beautifully written novel: 1) he writes from the point of view a disturbed kid, managing somehow to make us both sympathetic toward the young man and appalled by some of the things he does; 2) he gives us one of the most brilliant and detailed portraits of motherly love--blind, crazy, desperate--in modern American fiction. In addition to all this, the book is also quite witty. Highly recommended.

Gottlieb writes intimately lletting the reader in all the way. The book goes far deeper than a presentation of various components/people -- it provides a mirror for all who have grown up with a mother who unknowingly abuses the entire family in order to be comfortable with herself -- all under the guise of love. It's a healing experience if you refrain from focusing on the superficial--gottlieb puts the choice in the hands of the reader. The pain is sweet.

This wonderful coming-of-age book captures with incredible authenticity what it was like to be entering adolescence in the mid-1960's in the midst of a family in turmoil. "The Boy Who Went Away" has the rare quality of being appropriate for both parents and teens to read; it should take its place on shelves alongside Tobias Wolfe's "This Boy's Life" and even J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye." Elisa Davis