Missing

by Michelle Herman

Eighty-nine-year-old Rivke Vasilevsky discovers her crystal beads missing and becomes lost in a reverie in which she attempts to make sense of all that has happened to her in her life

Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Michelle Herman‘s newest book is If You Say So, her fourth collection of essays/memoirs. You can read her parenting, family, and relationship advice weekly in the Sunday Care and Feeding column at Slate.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Michelle has lived for many years in Columbus, Ohio, where she lives in a 120-year-old house with her husband, the painter Glen Holland.

Reviews

[Joseph (Manny) Heilman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am blessed that this was my first book of the year. Gasp, I know my first book, so late, eighteen days to read 146 pages? Hey, hey- it has been a busy and fast year (month, two and a half weeks, a hop and skip of a cricket's lifespan). I am also reading three other books, so surely that slowed me down, right?

I strongly recommend reading this book-
But I wouldn't recommend reading this book in one sitting. One certainly could, however, there was something powerful about sitting with this character, slowly going through the pages of her life, living different memories in each sitting. I would think of Rivke while working, relaxing, and living; she is the type of character that stays with you because she is so real, vivid, and true. In an odd way, I'll miss her too. The author masterfully creates a character so fully fleshed out that this book nearly reads like the diary of an older woman, not a fictional creation. This, too, is the rationale behind the one-star detraction.

Now of course, this book reminds me of my own grandmothers (mixes from both of them), which yes is selfish- but also a testimony to how this book allows its character to feel relatable to anyone. Even me a bright-eyed 22-year-old, despite the 70-year age gap.

This book overarchingly forces one to look at their own past. To question how many times one will clean a mirror, to ask at what point did a foundational part of who you are/ who you used to be, went- as one would say, missing-

[Caffection Mariah Byron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Missing, by Michelle Herman:
Once again, Michelle Herman has delivered a heartwarming tale of one woman's steadfast refusal to cede her independence, despite emerging old-age related issues and family members' intermittent attentions. Rivke is convinced that a box containing her string of precious beads has gone missing, or has been stolen. Metaphor for several things in Rivke's life that have also gone missing, each bead corresponds to a distant memory, a lost relative, her deceased husband, or the children she has seen leave her behind to pursue their own lives. An astute reader will pick up on the author's style right away: Herman's East Coast background; her affinity for run-on narrative that always seems to work in spite of its length and capacity; the humanity contained in every word. Missing is Michelle Herman at her (early) storytelling best. The book is filled with real, warm, honest characters who might live next door, or at least down the block. When Rivke realizes the truth of the missing beads (I'll never tell) the finale is so tender I wanted to cheer and say "of course!" A great read, by a compassionate writer who knows her stuff.

[J.I.]

This is a book about a woman who has lost some beads that hold no monetary value. She talks to a few relatives on the phone a few times, she thinks about her life, she cleans a little bit, she takes naps. In a point of high action, she spends twenty minutes just getting out of the bath.

Yet the book is brilliant. What Michelle Herman has done here is nothing short of amazing. The dramatic present is devoid of action, but I was gripped with the writing and the characterization. I cannot possible recommend this book strongly enough.

[Zoe · Rating 1 out of 5]

My friend Rhonda lent this to me maybe four years ago and I am finally reading it. It seems the right time, since it is a narrative of an elderly woman, and I am about to study Gerontology.

3/26/10 - this book was so depressing I couldn't finish it without getting a migraine. Basically, I felt I was reading the thoughts of one of my own relatives (a specific person I will not name) and it made me feel claustrophobic.

[Pammie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly interesting character study of an elderly widow but no real plot or movement. Would not recommend it with so many other compelling books out there...

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much. It reminds me of my relationship with my own grandmother and it has very much changed the way that I look at age and the process of getting older.