Faithful by Alice Hoffman, Simon & Schuster, © 2016; ISBN 97814767-99209; 258 pages; $26.
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – “Oh, oh,” I thought while reading the very dark and depressing first chapter. “This is going to be a very long book. Do I really want to expose myself to all this pain?”
Thank goodness, I made it to the second chapter because it was clear and restorative sailing from thereon out. Author Alice Hoffman had thrust readers initially into the deep pit of despair, but thereafter allowed them, along with the protagonist Shelby, to once again breathe the healing vapors of hope.
I am glad that I stuck with the story.
It began with Shelby shaving off her beautiful hair and moving into the basement of the home that she shared with her parents; taking comfort in the basement’s darkness and dungeon-like qualities. Shelby felt that she needed to be punished for the traffic accident that had destroyed the life of Helene, the girl friend who was her passenger. The crash had not killed Helene, but perhaps even worse, it had left her in a vegetative state. Feeling responsible, Shelby could not face the world, so she avoided people, leaving her self-imposed prison as seldom as possible.
Her road to recovery, ironically, began with illegal marijuana sold to her by a boy whom she, as a former member of the in-crowd, had never deemed to notice while attending high school. But now this young man, Jewish, and a loner, was more than a supplier to her; he really could empathize with her feelings of loneliness and worthlessness. Their union, when it eventually came about, was one of two self-described losers. But in fact, it was far more than that; it was two people with free will fulfilling each other’s needs.
Dogs were also important in Shelby’s recovery. She rescued several of them from exploitation or abuse. In taking on responsibility for them, and in being loved faithfully in return, she also assumed increasing responsibility for herself.
No matter how ideal a Jewish boyfriend and several faithful dogs may sound, the combination was not in itself sufficient to lift Shelby from her deep funk. There were underlying family problems with which she had to deal, as well as unresolved issues of self-esteem which led her to sabotage relationships. Step by step, she had to reconcile herself to the idea that she deserved to live a healthy life, even if her friend could not.
Besides being an absorbing read, Faithful for those in need may be a source of hope.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com