The Child
“Schulman crafts a piercing investigation into desire, mores, and the law.”—Publishers Weekly\ “An important work of American literature. That this is probably not how the book will be handled, reviewed, shelved, sold and read makes the novel all the more necessary and true.”—Lambda Book Report\ “Sarah Schulman is one our most articulate observers.”—The Advocate\ “In true Schulman form, the book has a gleaming intelligence and chilled anger. It’s beautifully blunt and plainspoken.”—L.A....
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First time in paperback: Sarah Schulman's acclaimed and controversial 2007 novel.Publishers WeeklyThe age of consent provides the flash point for Schulman's disturbing eighth novel (after 1998's Shimmer). The online activities of Stew Mulcahey-15, gay and troubled-lead him straight into the arms of David Ziemska, 39, and his lover, Joe. The two are subsequently arrested for child molestation. Schulman, a noted playwright and gay and lesbian rights activist, examines, with unflinching precision, the aftermath for Stew-his unhappy relationship with his family and the mental deterioration that leads to the senseless murder of Victor, Stew's young nephew. But if Stew is tried as an adult for murder, should the child molestation charge against David and Joe be dismissed? David's gay lawyer, Hockey Notkin, who's struggling with AIDS, turns for help to longtime friend and fellow lawyer, Eve Krasner, who's depressed, estranged from her partner and worried about cancer. Schulman crafts a piercing investigation into desire, mores and the law. (June)Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
\ Publishers WeeklyThe age of consent provides the flash point for Schulman's disturbing eighth novel (after 1998's Shimmer). The online activities of Stew Mulcahey-15, gay and troubled-lead him straight into the arms of David Ziemska, 39, and his lover, Joe. The two are subsequently arrested for child molestation. Schulman, a noted playwright and gay and lesbian rights activist, examines, with unflinching precision, the aftermath for Stew-his unhappy relationship with his family and the mental deterioration that leads to the senseless murder of Victor, Stew's young nephew. But if Stew is tried as an adult for murder, should the child molestation charge against David and Joe be dismissed? David's gay lawyer, Hockey Notkin, who's struggling with AIDS, turns for help to longtime friend and fellow lawyer, Eve Krasner, who's depressed, estranged from her partner and worried about cancer. Schulman crafts a piercing investigation into desire, mores and the law. (June)\ Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalSchulman tackles difficult subjects in her novels (e.g., Shimmer), and her latest is certainly no exception. Stew, a gay 15-year-old boy, meets 32-year-old David on the Internet and begins a sexual relationship with him. It's one of the few refuges in Stew's unhappy life, but the affair is discovered and David jailed for pedophilia. Enter Eva and Hockey, lawyers hired to defend David-each with huge personal issues of her or his own. Ultimately, the loss of the one positive relationship in his life sets Stew on a meltdown course, with tragic results. Schulman has written a thought-provoking story on a controversial subject, but unfortunately the characters are so unlikable that it's difficult to root for any of them. To her credit, Schulman forces the reader to question common societal assumptions, and the legal twist at the climax of the story is especially inspiring. Some graphic sexual language is included. Best suited for comprehensive gay and lesbian collections.\ —Caroline Mann\ \ \
