In the Mouth: Stories and Novellas
Delicate webs of family relationships, intimacies, and secrets are spun in this impressive, forthright collection of four stories and two novellas. In the poignant "The Bris" (included in *The Best American Short Stories,*2007), Marcus is conflicted yet nonetheless determined to fulfill his dying father's startling request while struggling with religious and personal repercussions. In "The Safe," earnest Sharon assists her father with his final yard sale as she attempts to accept his vacancy as opposed to her intense fervor for her infant son. "Milt and Moose" follows dentist Milt Rothstein on his last day at work before he and his beloved wife move to a Florida retirement community. Milt returns in the striking novella "Beached in Boca," which delves into the unwieldy relationship with his restless daughter, Wendy, who comes to care for her now-widowed father at the onset of his unexpected illness, as both address the ramifications of their life choices. Pollack's unabashedly honest narratives bravely reveal the resolve of individuals that is hidden beneath the cloak of familial myth and mortality. — Leah Strauss Booklist (April 1, 2008)—