Off to Join the Circus: A Novel

by Deborah Kalb

Overview

Off to Join the Circus focuses on an overly enmeshed, neurotic Jewish family in the Washington, D.C., area, and what happens when a relative returns after 64 years. Adele Pinsky ran away as a teenager back in 1954, perhaps to join a circus. The repercussions from her departure reverberated down the generations, affecting her younger brother, Howard, now a 75-year-old retired lawyer; his educator wife, Marilyn; their three daughters; and their two teenaged grandsons. Adele's reappearance in 2018, at a moment when the family is preparing for the younger grandson's bar mitzvah and the birth of the middle daughter's baby, upends the Pinsky family's assumptions about one another in hilarious and poignant ways.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781627204491
Publisher:	Loyola College/Apprentice House
Publication date:	07/18/2023
Pages:	316
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.66(d)

About the Author

Deborah Kalb is the author of the novel Off to Join the Circus, her debut novel for adults. She has written fiction for kids and nonfiction for adults, and she's the host of the blog Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, where she interviews an eclectic range of authors. A former longtime D.C.-based journalist covering Congress and politics, she lives in the Washington, D.C., area.

Editorial Reviews

2023-08-12
After more than 60 years, a woman reconnects with her estranged brother and his family.

Kalb’s novel opens in a festive mood: Howard Pinsky, the patriarch of a Washington, D.C.–area family, has just turned 75. It’s on that day that his older sister, Adele, whom he hasn’t seen in decades, calls him out of the blue. His first reaction is bafflement: “What does one say to a sister one hasn’t seen or spoken to in sixty-four years, he thought hazily.” Adele tells Howard that she’d like to visit, and the novel traces how her presence influences several members of the family in the days and weeks that follow. It’s an eventful time for the family, with one grandchild about to become bar mitzvah and the impending birth of another. Not everyone is thrilled to have Adele there—she alienates Howard's wife, Marilyn, not long after they meet. Gradually, Adele begins providing advice to Howard’s children and grandchildren. She’s also prone to dropping hints to the parts of her life when she was out of touch, as in, “You know, I had a stint on local television. Back in the seventies. I covered all kinds of stories.” She also alludes to vanishing from her brother’s life by saying, “Wouldn’t you want to escape from West Orange?” It’s unclear if there’s some secret underlying some of these events, especially Adele’s leaving home in her teens, her interest in reconnecting with Howard, and her treatment of Marilyn. Kalb instead opts for a less conflict-heavy resolution; there are no grim family secrets or shocking revelations to be found here. Kalb does juggle a large cast of characters well, but the stakes don’t have much impact.

An intriguing premise that might have benefited from more heated drama.

Kirkus Reviews