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Swimming Across the Hudson
As a child, Ben Suskind wonders how his family came together. What if he hadn't been adopted by Jews, what if his brother, Jonathan, had been adopted by a different couple? He and Jonathan fantasize about being the secret sons of Sandy Koufax, of coming to earth in a spaceship. They make blood pacts and switch names. But while they imagine other identities, they search for ways to feel that they belong to each other, to their parents, to their home. As adolescents, even in the familiar and happy comfort of the Manhattan apartment where they live, their dreams of girls and rock stars are colored by these concerns. Now Ben Suskind is thirty years old, living in San Francisco with his girlfriend, Jenny, and her daughter. He still reflects on the questions of his youth; Jenny often has to pull his head out of the clouds. So when he receives a letter from a woman claiming to be his birth mother, he is unprepared, panicked, but curious. He tells his adoptive parents about the letter, and they fly him home to New York and reveal a secret about his past, one that turns Ben's whole world upside down. Without telling anyone, Ben embarks on a journey, risking his relationship with everyone - his girlfriend, his brother, his parents. He combs through the records of his family's past, trying to find the facts about who he and Jonathan really are, and in the process learns the price of the lies people tell in the name of truth and good intentions.
- GenresFiction
230 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 1997
1 person is currently reading
219 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Henkin
8 books275 followersJoshua Henkin's new novel, MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, has recently been published by Pantheon. He is also the author of the novels SWIMMING ACROSS THE HUDSON, a Los Angeles Times Notable Book; MATRIMONY, a New York Times Notable Book; and THE WORLD WITHOUT YOU, which was named an Editors' Choice Book by The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune and was the winner of the 2012 Edward Lewis Wallant Award for Jewish American Fiction and a finalist for the 2012 National Jewish Book Award. He lives with his wife and daughters in Brooklyn, NY, and directs and teaches in the MFA program in Fiction Writing at Brooklyn College.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 27, 2012
I LOVED this little book! Why did it take me fourteen years to find it? It's been out of print for a while now, another of those mysteries I'll never understand. Why do books this good simply disappear?!
This is a delightful story, told in very simple and straightforward language, all about what it means to be loved and the paramount importance of family. On the surface it's about adoption, religion, sexual identity, maturity - all pretty heavy topics, to be certain. Its ingenuity is the way it all seems so deceptively simple. Narrator Ben Suskind is thirty years old, but seems rather Peter Pan-ish in his inability or unwillingness to commit to a three year-old relationship with Jenny, who has an eleven year-old daughter. He's not too sure about his vocation as a private school history teacher either, turning down the offer of a department chairmanship because he'd rather play basketball after school, likes having the summer off and isn't sure if he'll even stay with the job. In fact, the only reason he seems to have moved to San Francisco after his graduation from Yale is because that's where his brother Jonathan was moving. Ben reflects fondly and at length on their orthodox Jewish upbringing in Manhattan. Both adopted and only five months apart in age, they are as close as two brothers have ever been, and have intelligent, educated and doting parents.
But Ben has always wondered about his birth parents, and finally meets his birth mother, then tries unsuccessfully to convince Jonathan to follow suit. Ben's reunion with his birth mother is awkward and less than what he'd hoped for, and yet they do become fond of each other. Henkin's treatment of this subject seems to me much more realistic than so many of the staged show-biz kind of reunions so often shown on TV these days.
I'm not sure why I'm bothering to write much here, since the book's been around as long as it has and slipped out of print - and maybe out of mind too. But this is a damn fine piece of work, especially considering it's a first novel. I found myself smiling and chuckling in recognition throughout the book. But I'm not adopted, I'm not Jewish, I've never been to New York, I don't have a gay brother, and my only experience with New Jersey is once breaking down on the NJ Turnpike. So it's hard to explain why I liked the book so much. Maybe it's the little stuff here, like Ben and Jonathan's favorite children's book, ARE YOU MY MOTHER?, and how the two, knowing they were adopted, as a lark, accosted women on the street and asked that very question. I remember reading that same book to my daughter when she was small, and how she used that book and others from the Easy Reader series to learn to read by the time she was three. And there's also the brothers' devotion to the music and persona of Bruce Springsteen, who grew up across the Hudson in New Jersey, where teenagers actually had sex. Secretly they dreamed of, well, yup, Swimming across the Hudson.
Ultimately, however, this is a book about growing up, which Ben finally does, at the perhaps advanced age of thirty-one. There is a scene near the book's end that brought tears to my eyes, when he and Jenny told his parents of their plan to marry. Ben is afraid his father will not approve since Jenny is not Jewish, and perhaps he doesn't, but here's what he does -
"He came over and kissed me on the forehead. He kissed Jenny on the forehead too. He laid his hands on Jenny's head and left them there for several seconds. In that moment I allowed myself to believe he was blessing her. For that was how he'd looked blessing Jonathan and me on Friday nights, a time when I believed my father spoke to God, when anything he said, he could make happen."
SWIMMING ACROSS THE HUDSON is a book about many things, but most of all it's a book about love. And I loved it. Fortunately I have a copy of Henkin's other novel, MATRIMONY. I can't wait to read it.
This is a delightful story, told in very simple and straightforward language, all about what it means to be loved and the paramount importance of family. On the surface it's about adoption, religion, sexual identity, maturity - all pretty heavy topics, to be certain. Its ingenuity is the way it all seems so deceptively simple. Narrator Ben Suskind is thirty years old, but seems rather Peter Pan-ish in his inability or unwillingness to commit to a three year-old relationship with Jenny, who has an eleven year-old daughter. He's not too sure about his vocation as a private school history teacher either, turning down the offer of a department chairmanship because he'd rather play basketball after school, likes having the summer off and isn't sure if he'll even stay with the job. In fact, the only reason he seems to have moved to San Francisco after his graduation from Yale is because that's where his brother Jonathan was moving. Ben reflects fondly and at length on their orthodox Jewish upbringing in Manhattan. Both adopted and only five months apart in age, they are as close as two brothers have ever been, and have intelligent, educated and doting parents.
But Ben has always wondered about his birth parents, and finally meets his birth mother, then tries unsuccessfully to convince Jonathan to follow suit. Ben's reunion with his birth mother is awkward and less than what he'd hoped for, and yet they do become fond of each other. Henkin's treatment of this subject seems to me much more realistic than so many of the staged show-biz kind of reunions so often shown on TV these days.
I'm not sure why I'm bothering to write much here, since the book's been around as long as it has and slipped out of print - and maybe out of mind too. But this is a damn fine piece of work, especially considering it's a first novel. I found myself smiling and chuckling in recognition throughout the book. But I'm not adopted, I'm not Jewish, I've never been to New York, I don't have a gay brother, and my only experience with New Jersey is once breaking down on the NJ Turnpike. So it's hard to explain why I liked the book so much. Maybe it's the little stuff here, like Ben and Jonathan's favorite children's book, ARE YOU MY MOTHER?, and how the two, knowing they were adopted, as a lark, accosted women on the street and asked that very question. I remember reading that same book to my daughter when she was small, and how she used that book and others from the Easy Reader series to learn to read by the time she was three. And there's also the brothers' devotion to the music and persona of Bruce Springsteen, who grew up across the Hudson in New Jersey, where teenagers actually had sex. Secretly they dreamed of, well, yup, Swimming across the Hudson.
Ultimately, however, this is a book about growing up, which Ben finally does, at the perhaps advanced age of thirty-one. There is a scene near the book's end that brought tears to my eyes, when he and Jenny told his parents of their plan to marry. Ben is afraid his father will not approve since Jenny is not Jewish, and perhaps he doesn't, but here's what he does -
"He came over and kissed me on the forehead. He kissed Jenny on the forehead too. He laid his hands on Jenny's head and left them there for several seconds. In that moment I allowed myself to believe he was blessing her. For that was how he'd looked blessing Jonathan and me on Friday nights, a time when I believed my father spoke to God, when anything he said, he could make happen."
SWIMMING ACROSS THE HUDSON is a book about many things, but most of all it's a book about love. And I loved it. Fortunately I have a copy of Henkin's other novel, MATRIMONY. I can't wait to read it.
September 26, 2009
Another whopping disappointment. Henkin's other novel, Matrimony, was your classic three stars/mediocre book that held my interest enough to warrant trying him again. Well that was a mistake. This book read like every character had Aspergers. I don't know if that's even the right disorder, but everyone seemed incredibly awkward, socially inept and incapable of carrying on a funcitonal, relevant and interesting conversation. The characters had the maturity and insight of two year olds and Henkin spends an unjustifiable amount of time dwelling on completely unitneresting details of his characters' childhood while running through his narrative as if he isn't sure where his actual story should take place. Way too many I sentences as well as then i sentences, so that there is no moment of action, just a lot of panormaic views. Blech.
As a result I had no investment in his stupid characters whose conflicts COULD have been interesting but weren't. Blech. Couldn't finish, totally didn't want to, would like my time back.
As a result I had no investment in his stupid characters whose conflicts COULD have been interesting but weren't. Blech. Couldn't finish, totally didn't want to, would like my time back.
June 26, 2021
A lovely 'slice of life' tale told in simple, eloquent language. I fell in love with Ben, the protagonist...and how he 'is' in his world...foibles and all. He was a most authentic character. In fact, Henkin's characters were all authentically written. There is a plethora of life packed into these mere 219 pages - adoption, families, relationships, and it even begs the question of what constitutes the Jewish way of life (the religious, cultural, legal traditions and the civilization of the Jewish people). I wish I could remember where I learned of this book - perhaps it was on a list of another author's favorites. I am just glad I put it on my list and read it.
September 30, 2021
3.5 stars
Well written and easy to get through, I could definitely see this as a book club selection, although I can also picture the discussions veering off from the literary merits.
It's an "issues" book and the two are being adopted and being Jewish. What does it mean to be either of these? What do they mean inside one's head and heart?
Both are pursued at great length.
Well written and easy to get through, I could definitely see this as a book club selection, although I can also picture the discussions veering off from the literary merits.
It's an "issues" book and the two are being adopted and being Jewish. What does it mean to be either of these? What do they mean inside one's head and heart?
Both are pursued at great length.
September 9, 2019
This was an enjoyable, fast read centering on one character and his family; centering around gayness, adoption, and faith.
January 24, 2024
Doubt this would be published today, at least not without a great deal more editing.
July 28, 2012
Ben and Jonathan Suskind are brothers born to different birth mothers, who were adopted by Orthodox Jewish parents and raised in a childhood punctuated by religion and scholarship. Separated by only a few months, they were nearly inseparable as children, attending the same schools, playing on the same sports teams, even going on double dates together. Both went to Yale, but as Jonathan pursued a career in medicine and came out of the closet, Ben felt fairly rudderless. He followed Jonathan to San Francisco, and Jonathan became a geriatric physician and had a solid long-term relationship with his boyfriend, Sandy, while Ben was unsure about many things, including his career prospects, his religiousness (he stopped being observant of Jewish customs after high school), and his relationship with his girlfriend, Jenny, and her preteen daughter, Tara.
When one day Ben receives a letter from his birth mother, asking if he'd be willing to meet her, it completely throws him for a loop. He encourages Jonathan to search for his birth parents as well so they can share the anxiety of this experience, but Jonathan refuses. As Ben begins a relationship with his natural mother, it leads to fractures in his relationship with Jenny, an unsettling disclosure from his parents, and a general uncertainty about his future. And it causes Ben to take actions he immediately regrets.
Joshua Henkin is a terrific storyteller, and having read both his newest book, the magnificent The World Without You, and his earlier book, the equally superlative Matrimony, it was interesting to read this, his first novel. While I found Ben to be a frustrating and unsympathetic character from time to time, Henkin helps you understand the motivations behind his actions. This is a book about family, identity, religion, relationships, and coping with life's uncertainty. Once again, Joshua Henkin has made me a fan.
When one day Ben receives a letter from his birth mother, asking if he'd be willing to meet her, it completely throws him for a loop. He encourages Jonathan to search for his birth parents as well so they can share the anxiety of this experience, but Jonathan refuses. As Ben begins a relationship with his natural mother, it leads to fractures in his relationship with Jenny, an unsettling disclosure from his parents, and a general uncertainty about his future. And it causes Ben to take actions he immediately regrets.
Joshua Henkin is a terrific storyteller, and having read both his newest book, the magnificent The World Without You, and his earlier book, the equally superlative Matrimony, it was interesting to read this, his first novel. While I found Ben to be a frustrating and unsympathetic character from time to time, Henkin helps you understand the motivations behind his actions. This is a book about family, identity, religion, relationships, and coping with life's uncertainty. Once again, Joshua Henkin has made me a fan.
June 7, 2013
A Jewish family adopts two boys. The story is one of discovery and the tribulations of the mind of one of the adoptees.
My granddaughter was place in a Chinese orphanage at the age of 3 days. My single daughter adopted her when she was one year old. She wonders about her birthmom and what she was like? Why did she leave her? What did she look like? The questions go on and on.
Questioning and discoveries are tough to grow up with leaving one physically, emotionally in constant turmoil while the questions continue. Even when answers begin to evolve, more questions.
The story is one of discovery after a lengthy draining trail.
My granddaughter was place in a Chinese orphanage at the age of 3 days. My single daughter adopted her when she was one year old. She wonders about her birthmom and what she was like? Why did she leave her? What did she look like? The questions go on and on.
Questioning and discoveries are tough to grow up with leaving one physically, emotionally in constant turmoil while the questions continue. Even when answers begin to evolve, more questions.
The story is one of discovery after a lengthy draining trail.
May 16, 2013
Absolutely a good read. I love Joshua Henkin. I read his books with ease and with an instant connection to the characters. This story of two adopted sons and their choices as to whether or not to meet their birth mothers as adults, has many layers and questions to consider. I liked the book a lot. It could have been longer. I loved the main character and his exploration of his faith and his journey towards love.
October 27, 2014
A friend recommended this and I really enjoyed it. Benjamin and Jonathan are both adopted sons of an Orthodox couple. Now in their early 30s they have both left their orthodox upbringing. When Ben receives a letter from his birth mother all kinds of questions are raised about who he thinks he is, what it means to be Jewish and what it means to be adopted, well written and greT food for thought
August 26, 2014
I enjoyed and found it familiar on many levels. Being adopted, living inside an eruv, coming back to faith, complications of family, guilt in the looking, not sure what do do in the finding, connectedness. Simply written. Probably not for everyone.
January 28, 2013
On the bright side, it was better than I thought it was going to be! I read this for my English research project. It was hard to get a copy of it anywhere, but I thought it was going to be really boring and just bland. I actually like it, but it still wasn't all that great.
June 1, 2008
30 something adoptee wondering about his birth parents, struggling w/ Jewish faith & identity. Family issues. Enjoyable.
May 25, 2009
Found it difficult to like the narrator....
August 20, 2010
Annoying and aggrevating characters and not much of a story.
September 18, 2012
a deceptively simple book about choices and family secrets, thoughtfully written.
October 23, 2013
I enjoyed this book of brothers and their self examination. It got to the core of what it means to know your family. Through a series of lies the plot unfolds. It was a page turner for me.
April 6, 2016
A good read, especially about the future of the Jews.
August 16, 2016
I really liked the book.
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April 7, 2009Loved MATRIMONY ~ I'm sure Josh won't disappoint with SWIMMING
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June 8, 2017NYC adopted 'jewish' boys lives
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews