Long Division

by Sara B. Fraser

Thirtysomething Leigh Fortune never thought she’d make it this far. Emerging from the ashes of a traumatic childhood, she’s managed to plant her flag on Terra Normal. But under the surface she’s unsure—of herself, of her fiancée, of everything. A letter informing her of her estranged mother’s death tips her from uncertainty into emotional upheaval and sends her on a journey that will take her from the dunes of Cape Cod to Las Vegas and back.

Will she—with the help of her elderly grandmother, an HIV-positive social worker, and a few ghosts—finally be able to leave childhood hurt behind? Or will she upend the life she’s created and fall back into familiar patterns of self-destructiveness? To free herself from her past, Leigh will need to learn to accept her own faults as well as forgive those of others.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

226 pages, Paperback

First published March 21, 2019

About the author

Sara B. Fraser writes short stories and novels. She lives near Boston, teaches high-school Spanish, and goes surfing every chance she gets.

Reviews

[Anneliese Grassi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok

The concept was good but I'm not sure it was tied up all that well. I liked the cross generational concept, and the relationships, or lack thereof. It kinda jumped all over the place though, and sometimes I had to re-read to make sure I knew what/who it was talking about. There was clearly something wrong or a little off with Andy, but it isn't really talked about so one can only assume. The relationship with the father made me angry and it is touched on briefly that that is where her anger should be directed but then nothing is done about it. Again, I like the story over the three generations but I feel that I was left with many questions.

[Constance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn into this novel from the first page. Three women--mother, daughter, grand-daughter--weave their own and each others' lives through hope, disappointment, anger, and longing. Leigh, the grand-daughter who inherits a world of dysfunction, reaches back into the dark recesses to find the pieces of hope and love she needs to fully move on with her life. Along the way, we too learn about what matters most. I was deeply affected by this book and am still thinking about it.

[Ginger Pinholster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sara Fraser is a gifted writer. In Long Division, she weaves a complex family tapestry over a generation, poignantly describing what happens when adults are too self-absorbed to care for children. Her protagonist Leigh Fortune fights to find her footing in adulthood. We can't help rooting for her. Sara is skilled at staging tense, believable drama with spot-on dialogue. I admired this book.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long Division is a poignant story and its characters are three-dimensional. I found myself thinking about them even when I wasn’t reading—a hallmark of a good book. Fraser also has an ear for lovely turns of phrase as well. I didn’t want this book to end.

[Justkeepreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving effortlessly between different narrators this book tackles so many sensitive subjects in a clever, wonderfully sensitive way. It is really well written, with wonderful characters and a fantastic narrative.

[Kathy Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this Kindle edition book in a Goodreads
Giveaway. Thank you to everyone involved.
Great book - full of wonderful characters!!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book. liked the characters

[Mary Bramwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written, poignant, gut-wrenching story

This is a beautifully written story with many metaphors and similes that add richness to the prose (for example, a woman is described "... with hair like a puppy that naps across her shoulders"). The story itself is, at times, difficult to read because of its raw pain - replete with so many self-centered or broken people that can't see past themselves. But ultimately it is a novel of hope, that we can change ourselves if not our circumstances. Highly recommend.

[DotCathDot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know Sara, and I am familiar with her writing, but I had not read this novel until this week, and it is a gem. Sara’s characters—so unlike me—are somehow just like me, at times showing up shining but more often stumbling through life not knowing what to do “because we kissed on the cheek once and now we’re not sure what the protocol should be,” weighing life-defining decisions concurrently pondering whether barnacles stick to surfboards (and if so, how long that takes), and, if we’re lucky, like the main character in Long Division, Leigh, taking the plunge to discover “the deeper, truer, but more dangerous part” of ourselves. Sara’s ability to acknowledge and articulate the thoughts we don’t even know we have and to bring to light the complex, barely discernible, and frequently flawed beliefs that prod us or stall us as she recounts the missteps, misunderstandings, and trying-their-best of three generations of women (and the boys and men around them) make for a deliciously riveting story of love that is not a love story, and is more than marvelous.

[Sublime Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW

Overall Rating = 4.92

Storyline & Concept = 5

Writing & Delivery = 5

Editorial = 4.75

Long Division is the story of a woman and her family who are torn apart by alcoholism, abuse, and bad decisions. The repercussions follow the characters throughout their lifetimes, leading the protagonist to question her own path in life.

This well-written novel delivers on all levels. The author has seamlessly drawn the characters with all their flaws and qualities in a way that pulls you into their psyches and makes you feel their emotions. The two protagonists, Leigh and her grandmother Gertrude, are far from perfect, but their struggles and their reactions are realistic and well-drawn. The complexities of the relationships, both marital and mother/daughter, are revealed, layer by layer, as the story unfolds, taking us into the past to explain the present.

Sublime Line: “An exceptionally well-written novel, giving the reader an insight into the lives of the characters with a style and grace that would be the envy of many writers.”

[Elizabeth Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Gen Xer, I loved this book! With edgy dialog and sharp prose punctuated with moments of poignant insight—Long Division reveals the costs and legacy of growing up in the 1970s and ’80s when divorce and family dysfunction ran rampant, school yard bullying was ignored, and sexual assault had no name. Fraser weaves together the stories of endearing characters—including 94-year-old Gertrude who has a penchant for eavesdropping and her granddaughter, Leigh Fortune, who has a gift for numbers but struggles to make sense of her life. I was rooting for her the entire way! Fraser is a master storyteller, who shows us that perhaps the most defining quality of Generation X is resilience.

[The Christian Book Critic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long Division is a powerful story about three generations of women who share the same bloodline and their inability to deal with their past, has inadvertently affected one another. Gertrude, a ninety- two years old woman, lives in the Long Division Senior home and lives every day with the regret of never forgiving her ex-husband of his infidelities. Beverly, Gertrude's daughter, hides behind a bottle of whiskey and meanless sex. Leigh, Beverly's daughter, was raped by her mother's boss and later abandoned by her mother. Recently engaged to her boss, whom she doesn't love; Leigh must learn to forgive her past or end up following the same destructive pattern of her mother and grandmother.

[sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long Division was a touching and beautifully written book. I felt like I was revisiting aspects of my childhood in the 70s and 80s. The complications of marriage and divorce and mother/daughter relationships was told in such a poignant way. No phrase is more relevant than still waters run deep. Her ability to draw you in with the subtle expression of hurt, shame and pain pulled at me. Fraser’s rich character development captured me and wouldn’t let me go until the last page. Really loved this book.

[Sara Fraser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote it. I think it's pretty good.

[Wendy Del Toro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the writing style of this story; it's almost like reading a memoir and it was very conversational and accessible. The story itself wasn't anything that blew me away, but it was comfortable like a favourite sweater. The issue I had was one that I usually always take for granted in almost every book I read, and that is the chronology of events. This story was a bit all over the place in terms of time and I felt some things should have come at different chapters in the story. I also felt a certain character's death was not given enough "respect" I refer to Gertrude,, But overall, a decent way to spend a few hours some people I didn't actively dislike because although flawed, they were human and stumbling thru life, just like the rest of us.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sara Fraser has a genius for using gaudy outfits, smelly rugs, the spots on the hands of a ninety-four year old woman, to create a remarkably vivid family saga. Reading this novel is like watching an addictive, first-rate mini-series. Not only is her prose cinematic, but nuanced emotions are dished up with dazzling similes. All of which works to put us right in the room with this sprawling, troubled, loving and lovable family. These characters, all three generations, have stolen my heart. I will be “watching” Long Division again.

[Anthony Viola · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a keen eye for detail, Fraser presents three idiosyncratic viewpoints that reveal the innermost thoughts of three generations of women (mother, daughter, granddaughter). The secrets and desires that they keep from one another fuels the subtle conflicts that can often be sensed in the white space and/or the gaps in between chapters. The temporal shifts and stream of consciousness like narration is often engaging.

[Judy Ferrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Acceptance

This is about a woman accepting her past and learning to live with it. She struggles with it as she learns to live in the present. This is something I think we all do at some point.

[Chelsea Langston · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept is there. But i just could not make it through the first 50 pages. every 5 pages it goes back to a different person and its hard to follow.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

As in her novel Just River , Sarah Fraser has introduced the reader to compelling characters in a novel in which their lives do not resolve into a predictable outcome.