“Morningside Heights,” by Joshua Henkin
Henkin’s third-person narrative depicts Spence as a successful professional: a young “rock star” (though he objects to the term) of the Columbia English department. Yet, nearly from the beginning Henkin directly foreshadows Spence’s sickness: “Years later, when Spence got sick,” Henkin subtly forewarns the reader a few times; and he adroitly manipulates the reader into an understanding of the nature of Spence’s illness even before his family does.
You can read my review of Joshua Henkin’s Morningside Heights in The Brooklyn Rail by clicking the image below.
You can buy Joshua Henkin’s Morningside Heights at Barnes & Noble.
