Overview

""I have read his novels and heard him read from them, and with each experience I have felt my heart expand with greater love for the world."" -David Keplinger, author of Ice Every family has its peculiar struggles. So, too, with the Covo family. Nicky - a Holocaust survivor and Brooklyn psychiatrist - is shattered by a malpractice lawsuit. Nicky's wife, Helen, wrestles with the impending death from cancer of her daughter, Sarah. Nicky's daughter, Kayla, a gifted composer, confronts the death of her muse. And Kayla's biracial son, Jackie, raised as an Orthodox Jew, is mortified when Kayla finds his hidden icon of Jesus. In the midst of these calamities, the family visits the women's monastery in Greece where Nicky's baby sister, now known as Sister Theodora, has lived since childhood. As the family reunites, the Theotokos (the Mother of God) intervenes once again to save lives, and the family learns to forgive, to move on through loss and gain, doubt and faith, dark and light.

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9781685136734

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Reviews

""The Covos' struggles are sure to resonate with anyone who's ever had an uneasy conscience and a hopeful heart. An engrossing, soulful story of people working their way toward redemption."" -Kirkus Reviews ""I have read his novels and heard him read from them, and with each experience I have felt my heart expand with greater love for the world."" -David Keplinger, author of Ice ""What Forgiven asks me to do is gaze at the world views of [all the Covo family members] and wrestle with God, even the non-God of the atheists. This novel then asks me to search for ONE. Alone. I am persuaded to take up my questions again and again, every time I open the text. ""What shall I believe this time?"" I ask myself again. Yes, I am wrestling with God again."" -Carolivia Herron, author of Thereafter Johnnie ""The author's prose is ultimately evocative, capturing the Holocaust's lasting scars and familial bonds. As a theology teacher, I loved how the interplay of theologies is nuanced, making the novel accessible yet profound. An incredible and brilliant work. Outstanding storytelling."" -Readers' Favorite, 5-Star Review

""I have read his novels and heard him read from them, and with each experience I have felt my heart expand with greater love for the world."" -David Keplinger, author of Ice ""What Forgiven asks me to do is gaze at the world views of [all the Covo family members] and wrestle with God, even the non-God of the atheists. This novel then asks me to search for ONE. Alone. I am persuaded to take up my questions again and again, every time I open the text. ""What shall I believe this time?"" I ask myself again. Yes, I am wrestling with God again."" -Carolivia Herron, author of Thereafter Johnnie

""The Covos' struggles are sure to resonate with anyone who's ever had an uneasy conscience and a hopeful heart. An engrossing, soulful story of people working their way toward redemption."" -Kirkus Reviews ""Bruce J. Berger has crafted a brilliant book that's easy to fall into and hard to leave, resulting in a tender, deeply human exploration of family and faith."" -Indies Today ""Filled with enlightenment and characters who struggle to redefine family, heritage, and self, Forgiven: A Novel is a jewel of a read that will add riches to those seeking powerful stories of Jewish family dynamics."" -Midwest Book Review ""I have read his novels and heard him read from them, and with each experience I have felt my heart expand with greater love for the world."" -David Keplinger, author of Ice ""What Forgiven asks me to do is gaze at the world views of [all the Covo family members] and wrestle with God, even the non-God of the atheists. This novel then asks me to search for ONE. Alone. I am persuaded to take up my questions again and again, every time I open the text. ""What shall I believe this time?"" I ask myself again. Yes, I am wrestling with God again."" -Carolivia Herron, author of Thereafter Johnnie ""The author's prose is ultimately evocative, capturing the Holocaust's lasting scars and familial bonds. As a theology teacher, I loved how the interplay of theologies is nuanced, making the novel accessible yet profound. An incredible and brilliant work. Outstanding storytelling."" -Readers' Favorite, 5-Star Review ""Reading this book felt like stepping into a storm of emotion. I admired the quiet power in the writing. The prose is unhurried but charged with feeling. ... There's a rhythm to the book. The writing is filled with quiet compassion, and by the end, I felt changed. Forgiveness here isn't cheap. It's painful, slow, and human. That truth stayed with me."" -Literary Titan

Author Information

Bruce J. Berger, author of three previous award-winning novels about the Covo family, received his MFA in Creative Writing from American University and has taught college writing and creative writing there since 2017. In his previous career, after graduating from the University of Connecticut and Harvard Law School, Berger practiced law for forty years. For fun, he plays baseball in a senior league, something he's done for about thirty years. Berger lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife, Laurie, and their dog, Whiskey. He loves to spend time with his two grandchildren, Cole and Neely, who live just down the street.

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