cover image A Sistermony

A Sistermony

Richard Stern. Dutton Books, $17.5 (128pp) ISBN 978-1-55611-427-4

Novelist and University of Chicago English professor Stern (Golk) coined the word ``sistermony'' to convey the sense of bequest he recognized as his sister Ruth was dying, prompting him to consider the richness of their bond. His brief memoir, drawn from his diaries during Ruth's season of dying at age 67 in 1991, contains passages of tenderness but often strays from the subject of his sister. Amid daily details, Stern reflects on various episodes from his youth, his strained relationship with one of his sons, even his encounters with friends Philip Roth and Saul Bellow. The many family photos interspersed with the text, along with those of the author's literary buddies, give this book the feel of a home movie. Photos. (Mar.)