Pieta

by William Zink

Jim Priest's mother is dying. With his daughter beside him, he alternates caretaking duties with his sister. A year earlier his father died in mysterious fashion -- the head of the Virgin Mary from a lifelong sculpting project of The Pieta fell on top of him, killing him instantly. As days pass by, his mother falling in and out of coherency, the buried secrets of a bittersweet childhood re-emerge, forcing the four of them to accept, if not fully resolve, the limitations of their bonds. Pieta is a story about personal ambition, the anguish of unrequited affection, and the redemptive spirit of a young girl. In concise, elegant prose, William Zink examines the singular, yet universal, forces tugging at the hip of a family in the midst of its most epic chapter.

Genres: Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 2010

About the author

"Zink is one hell of a writer." — Andrei Codrescu

William Zink is the author of numerous books, including The Hole, Ballad of the Confessor, Ohio River Dialogues, Pieta, and Wild Grapes. His books have been praised by Booklist, Andrei Codrescu, The Charleston City Paper, The Main Street Rag, Donald Ray Pollock, Dagoberto Gilb, and others. His novel, Ohio River Dialogues, was a finalist for the Ohioana Fiction Award.

Reviews

[guiltlessreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review on my blog Guiltless Reading

When impending death unearths the past.

I got this book through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway and was pleasantly surprised to receive not only an autographed copy of Pieta but also a copy of Zink's poems Homage: Sonnets from the Husband. Thank you, William!

The book in one sentence: Jim takes care of his dying mother and unwittingly unearths family secrets.

My thoughts: This book deals with unpleasant subject matter - a dying parent. But it so reminded me of my grandfather's long illness and the effect on the people around him, that this book left me a tad unravelled.

It may seem a straightforward book - Jim and his sister Katie are taking care of their dying mother. A heartbreaking chore, seeing her slip away slowly. Delirious, weakening, and yearning to be reunited with her sculptor husband. Jim's young daughter, Alex gives a young and honest take on death and dying.

But this is definitely not a simple book. It is about the psychology of dying - where the living and the dying become much more open with each other to the point that even the deepest secrets are no longer sacred. And with exposure comes pain, regret, and slowly, eventually acceptance.

Sibling rivalries come to the fore. A new, more accurate picture of a dead father comes to light. Relationships are recontextualized. Childhood memories are put into perspective. This paves the way for building more honest relationships in the future.

This slim novel is packed with beautiful prose. Zink's writing is heartbreakingly honest. I especially loved this section on p. 83 which covers childhood, marriage, fatherhood and prayer in one paragraph:

When I was a boy, I did not think i could ever love anyone as much as I loved my mother. I married my wife, and told myself I could never love anyone more than I loved her. Now, gazing at my sleeping daughter, I dismissed both beliefs not as folly, but as greedy self-satisfying ardor. I trembled with emotion and wept, as I do often when I am alone driving to work, or at night when I am working in the yard, and see my daughters in my mind. Still, I cannot believe I have the privilege of being their father. When I consider it, I freeze up with fear. I think of all that could happen that might dissolve this dream. In this way, I have come to create a thing called prayer, which is not the hollow, grotesque thing called I was taught as a boy, but the thing that formed organically in my soul with the arrival, and then nurturing, of my daughters. My days are a prayer, my nights are too. My daughters feed the hole in me in ways my mother could not, and my wife would not. I am most alive when I am with them, and it is terrifying.

Verdict: A beautiful book to ruminate upon. Don't read when you're depressed or when it's just too nice and sunny outside.

[Blue North · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought about those who have waited for battle, or for hurricanes, or for news of foreclosure on their homes, and I imagined it must be like waiting for your mother to die."

Pieta by William Zink is a lovely novel about family. Jim lives with his mother. Living in the house is also Alex, Jim Priest's daughter. The beauty of the story is that age does not matter. Although Jim's mother is on her death bed and a widow, she is also an elderly woman living on a see saw. On her up days she knows her son, Jim. On her down days, she doesn't recognize him. She has times of thinking her dead husband is still alive. In her mind, he is still out in the shed sculpting the Pieta. "My mother has been adrift, slowly departing this world for several years. We have all seen it, and to varying degrees tried to deny it. Her fatigue, more than the dementia, is what pulled her away from us."

The beauty of the novel is that Alex, Jim's little girl, is able to be a part of this small family circle which very soon will become smaller still. I loved the questions asked by Alex about her grandmother's present, past and future. There are times when Grandma Zink is alert enough to give answers to Alex's questions.Oddly, Alex asks questions about death I would like to know myself.

With death drawing near, family stories are remembered. Painful memories remembered and discussed. I liked the remembrance of Jim's mother posing for the Pieta while Jim's father carved out the mother figure.On a different level, Jim's change of role is memorable. More than a son he becomes a caretaker. What would have been an embarrassment to him earlier in his life is now just a chore that needs doing in order for his mother to feel more comfortable while sitting or lying in bed. "She held onto the walker as I slid down her sweatpants and underwear. I left her, and told her to call out when she was finished."

While growing up with his other siblings, Jim felt resentment, hurt, because he never seemed able to please his dad. I did wish that the dad had been alive for a little while in the story. Than I could have read heard his voice, seen his gestures, felt the way he touched Jim's shoulder or the tone of voice when scolding his son. Instead, I only hear about him through what others say about the father and husband.

Pieta by William Zink made me feel less afraid of death. It is another part of life's journey. There is birth. There is death. The small family circle comforting and easing Jim's mother on to a new journey seemed so kind, peaceable and loving. I'm glad to have taken the journey with this small family circle. I will always remember Pieta.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free, in exchange for an honest review, from the author through LibraryThing. I enjoyed this book even though it was sad and dealt with death; past and pending death. It was very relatable for me since my mother-in-law passed away a month ago. The general decline of the mom/grandmother in this story was hard on her two children and young granddaughter, as they took turns caring for her. This was an extremely realistic look at what happens to people, caregivers as well as the one dying, as someone is approaching death.

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book free of charge from Library Thing, in exchange for a review.

This bitter-sweet book tells the story of a brother and sister taking turns caring for their Mother who has dementia.
Watching her as she slowly slips away from them they struggle not only with the heartbreak of today but, also, pain from the past.
Very well written debut novel.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I had received this book from the author via a win through the Member's Giveaway on Library Thing, I was thrilled! The book had sounded exceptionally good, and I adored the cover.

My father had died only a few months before receiving this book, and I really didn't think I'd have the reaction I did to it. Mr. Zink's prose was so realistic and personal, that I couldn't continue reading at the time. I had never expected to have such a gut-wrenching reaction!! I ended up having to put it aside and waiting for a bit before trying to read it again.

I picked "Pieta" up again on New Year's morning and thought I'd give it another go. I didn't put it down until I was finished. What an amazing and heartfelt book!

The book centers on a very short period of time in the life of Jim Priest. He is preparing for his mother to die and he is taking care of her along with his sister. There are days he also brings along his 6 year old daughter so she can spend as much time with her grandmother before she passes. During this time, one gets glances of Jim's life, his struggle with his family - in both his married life as well as in his past childhood. His mother suffers from the last stages of Alzheimer's and when she becomes lucid, he learns a few key things from his past.

Jim's daughter brings clear the reality of life and death from such an innocent viewpoint - straight to the point and in a matter-of-fact tone. She balances out the pain and heartache with questions and a bit of humor that only a child can bring to such situations.

"Pieta" is less than 130 pages long, but the richness of the writing makes it as satisfying as a much longer novel. It deals with some very personal subjects and is quite a heavy read, but a very good read. This one is going to stay with me for a very, very long time.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 3 out of 5]

At its core, Pieta is really a book about probably one of the most difficult things that a person can face in their life: the death of a loved one. I've unfortunately lost a lot of loved ones, mostly to prolonged (and not so prolonged) diseases. It is so hard to watch. You want to help out but there is really nothing that you can do but try to make them more comfortable, and even that sometimes doesn't work. This is exactly what Jim, the main character, is going through in the book. His mother is dying and he must watch.

This is a relatively short book (according to Goodreads, it is about 130 pages). While you get the gist of the basic story, I did find myself wishing that we got to see inside the characters heads a little bit. What was going on with Jim's dad? He seemed like a pious man, yet he was sort of terrible to his family, especially to his wife and to Jim, and I didn't feel like we totally got his motivation. I really love to know what makes characters tick, especially when they're sort of mean or off kilter and you really don't get that here.

I enjoyed the writing and the basic story was pretty good and entertaining. I just wish you got more insight into the different family members.

Bottom line: A good read!

[LAWonder10 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story reminds me of Doctor Zhivago in a much smaller book. Many thoroughly enjoyed the former story...it put me to sleep!
This is definitely written for an adult audience, although it is a story about a couple of dysfunctional families. There is profanity and many sexually suggestive references.
The writing was quite good except for a few areas the flow of the story was interrupted. The cover of the book had very little to do with the storyline.
This was a tale of reflection of a mans childhood life while living his adult life. Although the story kept bouncing back and forth, the reader was able to follow through the author's clear writing technique.
This is about a "pieta" a sculptor (the main character's father)worked on for most of his life and the musings of his son concerning it.
The story brought in the relationship with his own wife but seemed to never resolve anything concerning it...It was just sort of "thrown in" then abandoned.
I had to conclude my rating dilemma by deciding on a strong three stars rating.

[Tracy Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that will stick with you and stay in your heart for a long while....what a beautiful piece to read.

Pieta is not a long book....it can be read in a day....but it is full of wonderings and remembrances that will take longer than a day to process. The beauty of this book is it's honesty about death. The characters are afraid of death but they deal with it head on and in such a way that is bittersweet and tender. The ending is beautiful and touches on acknowledging all that the mother had done and gone thru in her long life.

The only thing I wish was different in the book....is that each memory that is the catalyst for a chapter was fleshed out more.....because at times I felt like I was left hanging when I wanted to know so much more.

I recommend reading this sweet little book and savoring the tenderness that it brings to your heart and mind.

[Shelly Troup · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick read, but the story left me wondering why I read the book in the first place. I've read others reviews and they raved how wonderful the story was. I didn't care for the book at all. There were funny parts especially about the 6 year old daughter and the way she sees life. Kids are so brutally honest. I just had a really hard time getting into this book at all. The narrator speaks of his feelings as he is watching his mother pass away before him, I've been there and done that with both parents, the story itself you would have thought intriguing especially for me since I could relate but it just wasn't that great of a story.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Priest's father died and now, a year later, he is caring for his dying mother with his sister and his daughter by his side. The story centers around the statue of the Pieta, which was his father's life's work. As his mother comes in and out of dementia, Jim finds out more about his father's passion for the statue, his mother who was the model for the
Virgin Mary and about his childhood. This is a story which maybe familiar to many of us who have had to care for a dying parent and coming to terms with our childhood as we remember it and accepting that our interpretation of what happened was viewed by inexperienced eyes.

[John Zunski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pieta socked me between the eyes, for me, it was that good. The exploration of feeling on the impending death of a parent was heartfelt and in my opinion authentic. The views of Alex, the narrator's six year old daughter were poignant. My only quibble was the last scene, it worked as a literary device but it wasn't 100% believable, however its inclusion did not detract from the magic I took from the story. Thank you Mr. Zink for a beautiful piece of work.

[Catrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not had to experience the death of a parent yet, but I can fully appreciate how that would feel. Seeing how Jim Priest cared for his mother during her final days and how he connected with his daughter and sister brought forth a lot of emotions.

I would liked to have learned more about what happened in his relationship with his brothers.

[Adri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid 4 star book. The writing is poetic, beautiful, filled with love, wonder, hurt, anguish. It is exceedingly painful watching a beloved patent die. Having been through that myself I could identify with emotions of the main character in a way which sometimes made me choke with emotion.

A sad book, but also filled with redemption.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written story of normal people doing a normal thing, taking care of their ailing mother while she is dying. In the process sercrets are revealed and issues resolved.

Although it's not the type of story I would usually read, I was easily captured and finished the book in one day!

[Juanita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book was well worth the time it took to read it. The story moves fast and is very heartwarming. A story about a mother in her final days from the son's point of view.

Won off of Library Thing Early Reviewers.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a touching novel. It was sad but very realistic. I would like to read another novel by this author.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true account of one person's death. It gives us a bit of insight into the unknown.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A free Amazon download, ok but nothing special.