The Last Syllable
by
Book Details
About the Book
In 1929 an infant boy dies. From this tragedy a mystery is born that his mother, Sophie Zeitman, will never solve. Her husband, Jack, responds to his son’s death by angrily rejecting Sophie. After a time, a traveler from
One day toward the end of her life, Sophie’s sixteen year old grandson, Ira, discloses a terrifying experience to her. Seeing that he is on the threshold of needing to make his own difficult decisions, she reveals her unsolved secret for the first time.
Sophie’s strength is her guiding spirit. Through mere suggestion she imparts the truth that time on earth is finite and should be made valuable. In addition, she eases all the lives she touches into searching for the light that exists in every dark corner. This belief never wavers even though she is burdened by her secret that could immobilize any other person.
And then there’s the non-poker-playing foursome – Sophie, Blanche, Maggie, and Gertie – who, for over fifty years, trade barbs and insults, penetrate each other’s souls, and rock with laughter over things they would never reveal to anyone else. The cards always remain undealt. In the end, is Sophie’s mystery solved by one of the remaining foursome?
Now Sophie is eighty-two years old and is in the last stages of Alzheimer’s disease. She has lost her orientation to time and memory. The Last Syllable probes the idea of time and how people structure their lives as time moves inexorably forward. The Last Syllable proposes that even though Sophie’s recorded time has expired, this is not the end of her story.
About the Author
Bernice Berger Miller is the author of The Horse-God. She earned her Ph.D. in English at the