Description
In LET THERE BE LIGHT, Sigel’s collection of 15 prize-winning stories, each story stands on its own—while together, they offer a singular portrait of a man, his community, his world.
In the title story, “Let There Be Light,” set in a fading coastal town in Ivory Coast, Peace Corps teacher Howard Gold battles inertia and neglect to get streetlights repaired so his students can study at night.
In “The Sculptor,” a beautiful surgeon is married to a sculptor whose philandering provokes a stunning act of vengeance, shocking the quiet neighborhood where Howard and his family live.
In “Born Again,” Susan, nine-months’ pregnant, flees an oppressive urban cult that seeks to control her baby —yet her very life will depend on the actions of strangers in a Boston-bound Amtrak train.
In “Uncle Isaac,” ten-year old Howard learns who in his mother’s fractious family must step forward to rescue a favorite uncle from jail and disgrace.
R.R. Bowker’s description of this unique collection says: “In author Sigel’s hands, these gripping stories move like brilliant spotlights across the lives of a family and a Jewish community, linked by love, sorrow, betrayal and hope.”
JOE PONEPINTO, novelist –
“Sigel’s stories beautifully chronicle the contemporary Jewish experience.”
RABBI DEBORAH ZECHER –
“Each story in this beautiful collection is a world unto itself. His evocative prose illuminates lives and relationships, stitching an intricate tapestry of family and community.”
NEIL SCHLUGER, M.D., dean, New York Medical College. –
“Sigel writes with great sensitivity, depth and nuance—every page is a new reward for the reader.”
MARK W. –
“Terrific writing.”
LLOYD P. –
“Wonderful stories.”
GLORIA GOLDREICH, novelist –
“Incisive and insightful: Sigel’s stories reveal the dramas of people struggling for personal fulfillment amidst the intricacies and intimacies of Jewish communal life.”