The Great Letter E: A Novel - Hardcover

Schor, Sandra

9780865473973: The Great Letter E: A Novel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0865473978 ISBN 13: 9780865473973

Publisher: North Point Pr, 1990

A Spinoza-obsessed hero faces a host of real life problems--including an unfaithful wife, a son who disappears, and an incensed rabbi--that require practical, not philosophical, solutions

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From Publishers Weekly:

The "great letter E" of the title serves as the "mysterious monogram" for the eye chart and sign of Barry Glassman's optometry shop on New York City's West Side. But for Glassman, "E" also refers to all the subjects that most concern him: ethics, Einstein, existentialism, empiricism, effort and eros, to name a few. A philosopher manque obsessed with Spinoza, Glassman ponders "why, if God is perfect, there should need to be an Eighth Avenue at all," and quarrels with his synagogue over his son's bar mitzvah. His family ties are no easier: Glassman is separating from his wife, who is having an affair with his oldest friend. (Meanwhile, our hero carries on with Feliz, his shop assistant.) Beset on every side, Glassman moves from his Long Island home to a Brooklyn furnished room, where he meets his intellectual match in his landlady's blind son and his own cousin Enid. Comedy guides his tireless wrestling with philosophy, and Schor shows a keen ear for exasperated dialogue. Whether reeling from a punch in the jaw from his rabbi or pondering the mystery of his 13-year-old son, Glassman in his rue is a poignant pleasure.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

Barry Glassman is an optometrist with a penchant for the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza (who also was a lens grinder). As his marriage and business fall apart, Barry buries himself in philosophy and Jewish theology--and in making lists of E words, including Eros and Existentialism, because the E of the eye chart fascinates him. In a series of hilarious episodes, things go from bad to worse: his son disappears, his wife leaves him for his lifelong friend and competitor, and he fights with his rabbi. But Barry doesn't fall apart; instead, he falls in love with the best E of all, his sexy cousin Enid. They conduct optical experiments together to study the colors of the rainbow and become involved in a triangle that includes Barry's charming and insightful blind neighbor, Bernard. In her debut novel, Schor has captured the essential elements of the classic Jewish story--pathos and humor. This is a story about seeing with both the eye and the heart.
- Molly Abramowitz, Silver Spring, Md.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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