The Slow Way Back: A Novel

by Judy Goldman

Thea, a Jewish woman married to a non-Jewish man who feels disconnected from her family and her traditions, finds a cache of 1930s letters written in Yiddish by her grandmother concerning her parents troubled and secrecy-shrouded marriage. A first novel. 15,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Jewish

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 1999

About the author

I’m the author of 8 books — 4 memoirs, 2 novels, and 2 collections of poetry My new memoir, The Rest of Our Lives, will be published May 2025. It's on a subject I'm an expert in -- aging! But I want it to be a guide for 40-year-olds, 80-year-olds, and everyone in between!

My recent memoir, Child: A Memoir (University of South Carolina Press), was named a “Must-Read Book in 2022” by Katie Couric Media and was a finalist for the Southern Book Award in Nonfiction..

My memoir,  Together : Memoir of a Marriage and a Medical Mishap , was published in 2019 (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday), and in paperback in 2020 (Anchor Books. Named one of best books of 2019 by Real Simple magazine. Starred review in Library Journal. Order today!

My first memoir, Losing My Sister, was a finalist for both SIBA’s Memoir of the Year and ForeWord Review’s Memoir of the Year. My first novel, The Slow Way Back, was a finalist for SIBA’s Novel of the Year, winner of the Sir Walter Raleigh Fiction Award and the Mary Ruffin Poole Award for First Fiction. My second book of poetry, Wanting To Know the End, won the Gerald Cable Poetry Prize, as well as the top three prizes for a book of poetry by a North Carolinian.

My work has appeared in The Southern Review, Kenyon Review, Gettysburg Review, Ohio Review, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, Crazyhorse, Real Simple magazine, and Our State magazine; my book reviews in The Washington Post and The Charlotte Observer; my commentaries on public radio in Chapel Hill and Charlotte. I received the Hobson Award for Distinguished Achievement in Arts and Letters, the Fortner Writer and Community Award for “outstanding generosity to other writers and the larger community,” and the Beverly D. Clark Author Award from Queens University. I live with my husband in Charlotte, NC. We have two married children and four grandchildren.

Reviews

[~mad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read but the last page - I kept looking for another page to turn.

Recommend!?

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good, quick read. I was curious to read it because it is set in the Carolinas, and I was interested in the characters' experiences as Jewish Americans living in the Bible Belt.

[Margaret Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming first novel about three generations of women the southern United States. Those generations range from first generation American still writing letters in "broken" English to fully assimilated, integrated sisters. The book deals with tensions between the family generations, secrets, health issues and many family secrets. You will have to read the book to see how it resolves, or does it? It seems to me that there are many books in this genre. This one was not my favorite because I found myself going back and forth, struggling to understand which layer, which time period we were in. Nonetheless there was a gentleness or a slowness that I associate with the south that made for a lazy, laid back read that I appreciated. Different from reading non-fiction or a biography or even a murder mystery.

[Lydia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the local setting, and I liked the idea of the novel, but it seemed most of the writing had nothing to do with the actual plot. The interactions between the characters seemed superfluous and trite, conversations about Coke among other things, that made it seem like the author was not comfortable with writing dialogue. The letters as well were not as enthralling as they could have been, and considering that the letters were the focus of the story, I had hoped they would contain more. Now I'm not sure what connections there are between the novel and the writer, and so if the letters were her actual family letters, then that would make sense, but the narrative writing itself seemed limited - mostly I would have liked to see more depth and character development.

[MARGO]

the excerpt for this novel says it is an expertly crafted first novel - well I beg to differ. This book is suppose to uncover a family secret which I am afraid is fairly obvious from the very first chapters and is no secret to anyone with an ounce of intellect. The characters are boring and bland and there is no plot but the chapters just drone on and on telling us what mundane tasks occupy the main character's time. I kept reading in hope that it would improve and saddly it did not. What a horrible waste of paper which could have been put to better use. - No stars at all from me I am afraid.

[Cornmaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up for $2 at the UNT bookstore; apparently it didn't sell well there. But I really liked the story of a Southern Jewish family, which to me was an oxymoron. Little did I know. It talks about history, family, relationships between sisters, mothers, daughters, and forgiveness. Secrets revealed through Yiddish letters that must be translated. Very interesting plot device. I liked the prose - quiet and poetic.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book that I just grabbed off the shelf from the library while the kids were restless, I was satisfied by this book. Although the plot was pretty easy to figure out earlier in the book, I enjoyed reading about the relationships of three sets of sisters within three generations in a Southern Jewish family.

[Kajsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style was weird - almost abrupt in places, and the author had a tendency to jump forward in time without giving much clue as to where on the timeline of the story they were. I enjoyed the plot though, I think the characters were well developed and the author delved into family issues with delicacy and good humor.

I liked the story, just not so much the writing style.

[Paula Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, I do admit the ending was very clear from the start of the book

[F H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family relationships

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written, but very slow to read and repetitive. Didn't lead to any major revelation that a reader couldn't figure out half way through.

[cati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks again Savers! I had high hopes for this. The best writing in the book was the last 5 pages.

[Margie feldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

great story of 3 generations in a Jewish southern family

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick easy read

[Stephanie Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written, engaging story by a master story teller.