A Window Across The River: A Powerful Literary Novel of Love Between Artists and the Betrayal That Tears Them Apart

by Brian Morton

Isaac and Nora haven't seen each other in five years, yet when Nora phones Isaac late one night, he knows who it is before she's spoken a word. Isaac, a photographer, is relinquishing his artistic career, while Nora, a writer, is seeking to rededicate herself to hers.

Fueled by their rediscovered love, Nora is soon on fire with the best work she's ever done, until she realizes that the story she's writing has turned into a fictionalized portrait of Isaac, exposing his frailties and compromises and sure to be viewed by him as a betrayal. How do we remain faithful to our calling if it estranges us from the people we love? How do we remain in love after we have seen the very worst of our loved ones? These are some of the questions explored in a novel that critics are calling "an absolute pleasure" (The Seattle Times).

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Adult, New York, Novels

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.


BRIAN MORTON is the author of four previous novels, including Starting Out in the Evening, which was a Salon favorite book of the year and was made into an acclaimed feature film, and A Window Across the River, which was a Book Club selection on the Today show. He is the director of the MFA program at Sarah Lawrence and teaches at New York University and the Bennington Writing Seminars.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have difficulty reviewing and rating this book. It's actually one I might not have finished had it not been for the CR discussion. There's nothing difficult. It's certainly accessible. But the characters. Isaac... I can believe him as a character. Nora is a moral argument masquerading as a character in search of relationships. I didn't like her, didn't believe in her, and ultimately didn't want to read about her anymore. I really wished Isaac had fallen for someone else, but such is life.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed every page of this character driven novel. Two artists- a writer and photographer- struggle with their creative identities while trying to rekindle their past love affair. Insights into what artists must sacrifice to serve their creative demons as well as care for those they love. Highly recommend to all writers.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had liked the movie of Morton's Starting Out In the Evening, so when the Constant Reader gang put this one on a discussion list, I decided to go for it. Did I enjoy it? Not exactly, no. Did I regret the time spent reading it? No, it's a well written book. Indeed, the plotting is its main strength, switching effectively between the two main characters, without a lot of re-hashing events. While I wasn't thrilled with Billie, Nora's aunt, as a person, the arc of her story did work to propel the story towards its conclusion. The other, minor characters worked well I thought, especially Juliette (who appears briefly near the very end).

Nora herself I wasn't so crazy about. She came across as self-centered; her moments of caring about Isaac seemed forced, and her "devotion" (to use a word that Morton way over-uses) to her aunt implied some sort of guilt, or perhaps resentment, that may have been too subtle for me. In the end, I wasn't really rooting for her, though I didn't dislike her enough to root against her either ... just what-EVER ...

Isaac, on other hand, was well drawn (for the most part). He didn't come across as a "failure", but as someone with poor self-promotion skills. A rather reclusive famous photographer treats him as a friend; I came away feeling that the man accepted Isaac because he knew that Isaac wouldn't ever try to take advantage of him. Not to say it's too late - Isaac does show an interest in a possible career advancing opportunity late in the story. So, he's flawed, but potentially redeemable.

So, would I recommend this one? Yes, though I wouldn't fault folks who give up on it either as there's work for the payoff.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

a quiet little book, very well written, about 2 people who find each other again after breaking apart 5 years earlier. an intelligent book about intelligent, interesting young people in nyc, post 9/11. I finished this book now (writing this a few days since 1st 2 sentences. It was beautifully written, and I loved the strong character development, loving the characters despite their flaws, BUT, I hated the last sentence, as it left me hanging. I hate books that don't let the reader know how the story ends! So frustrated by that last sentence.

[Kasurls · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3.5 stars. The writing is extremely good and the characters are well developed. I have previously read “Starting Out In The Evening” and “Florence Gordon” by this author, and loved both. “Starting Out In The Evening was made into a very good movie. I did not love this book as much as the others but I had no trouble sitting down with it at every opportunity.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Issac and Nora love for each other has transcended over years, and have never lost it`s passion. After years of contemplating about whether one thinks of each other, Nora first makes the first step when she calls Isaac. Issac recognizes her silence without her saying a word, and the two decided to meet up and rebuild what was broken. Although Nora is in a relationship, she never stop loving Isaac and she struggles to break things off with her current mate. As a photographer, Isaac captures pictures that has been featured in top the magazines and when he is not taking photos, he is thinking of Nora and the life they shared. In addition, Norah takes care of her sickly aunt Billie and writes fiction for a living, but when one of her portraits resembles Issac life, their relationship is tested in more ways than they can imagined. This is an outstanding novel about love, hope and forgiveness, it has been awhile since I read a romantic book that has captured me from the beginning, to the end.

[Patricia Tyburczy-bettis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often choose character driven novels, and so that is what was appealing to me about this story. Also, it isn't necessary for me to like the characters in order to remain interested in what is happening with them. To my mind, this is a story about obession, and how following that, whether it is a physical and emotional attachment for another, or the drive to manifest one's creative core, can either save or destroy you. It is about the consequences of choice, and ultimately what we learn about ourselves, or do not. Sometimes it appears to be a "selfish" choice to make writing or painting or dance or sculpture a priority to those who do not share the same inner drive and vision. Good story.

[Marlete Volz · Rating 2 out of 5]

the ending was shockingly stupid.


it was simply disturbing at times, but engrossing.

[Erin Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate rating books. I struggled with rating this one, 'liked it?' or 'really liked it?' The truth is I really liked it. While Brian Morton is not among my favorite writers and his occasional, out of the blue and over the top description of some inanimate object was slightly irritating… I could not wait to get back to this book. Norah and Isaac I got and he nailed them circumstance after circumstance. He presented their weaknesses and strengths in the most casual way as they struggled with the relationship they have with each other and the relationship they have with themselves. Norah particularly hit a nerve with her struggle with using the people around her as fodder for writing. I am constantly waging a war with myself on what bridges are worth burning for a good story and what stories are best kept to myself. How far can I push a person before they go from mildly irritated to pissed off for good? Norah was so familiar I sometimes cringed and that's what a good writer does right? Point us to ourselves? Well Brian Morton did that beautifully and simply.

[Cecelia Hightower]

(2003, pp. 289) I am not sure where I picked up or received this book, but I found it interesting and easy to read. Brian Morton's development of characters was done very well I thought. It is a love story with a different presentation, in that the female is an author, who is creative when she is writing about those that she knows personally and she presents many negative points. It is hard to hold onto friends and family and lovers, when the writing is shared. Her love interest is a photographer who has a great love of his choice of career and even though he has had some success, he is not really as successful as he thought he would be and should be at this time of his life. He struggles internally and believe that Nora is his true love, as she does of him. I liked the book.

[Penney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author's work. This is my favorite of the three novels I've read so far. Interestingly, several of my friends did NOT like the one Brian Morton novel I recommended they read (Florence Gordon). I suspect some readers can't see past the negative aspects of characterization and conclude that these novels are like so much of the typical cynical nasty contemporary fiction out there. But I see just the opposite--fully rounded characters, warts and all, worthy of compassion despite their flaws and brokenness, at times admirable, and even noble, in their striving toward goodness.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY low key and laid back! Not my usual type of read but it was well written and it's nice to find something different for a change. I did take umbrage at his description of an old lady alone except for her cats as being sad. I am all those things (but my cats are all in the big litter box in the sky after 18 years) and couldn't be happier!! Being alone DOES NOT mean being lonely - it means doing what you want whenever you want without having to explain your actions to anyone!! So there Brian Morton!

[Susann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Years ago, I swiped this from the free book table at work. I liked it just fine but, now that it's review-time, I don't have much to say about it. Nora didn't do much for me personally, but I admired and respected Isaac's love for her. Morton showed how when you love someone, your love just is. It's just there.

[Rdailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A *very* good book-- definitely a "keeper"! Morton portrays the two main characters, Nora and Isaac, beautifully and equally well... the struggles they endure are profound, intimate yet universal, crossing the generations... I highly recommend this read!

[Yulia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morton once again challenges us to question whether we would be able to live up to our own ethical standards and ideals. This book also asks, what is ultimately more important to an artist: to live well or to create well? If a writer dies unknown in a forest, is it too late to self-publish?

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kind of book - complex characters wrestling with their lives, relationships, values and behavior in ways I find absorbing. Especially since they're artists, one a writer and the other a photographer. Good read. Will look for more by this writer.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It makes me wonder if my liking this so much means I'm totally middle-aged. But I did really like it.

[Sanja Knezovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is about love, compassion and compromises. It is a beautiful book,

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as his latest, Florence Gordon.

[Liz Bulasko · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't stand this book. It reminded me a little of "House of Sand and Fog" by Andre Dubus III, which contained a handful of despicable characters. I kept reading that book with a kind of morbid fascination, waiting to see if the characters became the least bit likeable as the book wore on. Well, they didn't in that book and they - Nora and Isaac - didn't in Morton's book, either. And aside from the ridiculous "plot" (for lack of a better word), Morton seems to have done little or no research on certain subjects, unlike writers such as John Irving, who almost does it to the extreme. I had two surgeries in 2020, including one that Billie had, and there's no way someone would be up and about - and dancing?? - a couple of days after major surgery. Surgery, especially with someone her age, really wipes you out. Also, patients are told not to eat 12 hours before surgery and the fact that Billie stops for a big pretzel a couple of hours before her gall bladder surgery is just absurd. And then the nursing home only sends one guy to Billie's fourth-floor walkup and Nora, a small woman, helps him carry her down four flights on a gurney?? And Isaac, after guzzling two "tall" glasses of Irish whiskey, manages to get his bike out of storage and ride five towns over to Renee's place?? Also, we're left to believe that Nora and Isaac probably wind up back together, which is also absurd unless you're some kind of masochist. I spent the whole time reading this book thinking, "That makes no sense!" or "Who does that?" or, occasionally, just "WTF??" The good news is that I got it for free at a swap shop here in Maine that's attached to the town dump. I'm annoyed with myself for wasting my time reading the whole thing but at least I didn't pay for it.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

This book felt shallow at the start, but I didn't give up on it. I hoped the author would eventually bring me somewhere worth journeying. The concept of two artists of differing mediums connecting & reuniting after five years apart, seemed intriguing. However, for me, the book essentially went nowhere.

While I liked the character of Issac--noble, prideful, honest in his conflicting thoughts, Nora & Billie felt forced, unrealistic. Bille's purpose was, I suppose, meant to bring out Nora's compassion & devotion, yet neither was convincing. Billie led most of her life empty & tragically alone. Nora extended herself when/where she thought she should, but she always kept her own interests first. She was too selfish to be a mother, a singular caregiver, or commit herself to the love of her life. I did find the inner thoughts & conflicts of the two main characters interesting, & ultimately that is why I kept reading.

I realize this is character-driven novel, but nothing much happened. We're told Issac changed, but I didn't feel either he or Nora grew in any significant way. Isaac became disgruntled with his art, & Nora chose to cave to her muse's method despite the fact it only found success by hurting those she claimed to care for. Love is not big enough for Nora, & because the book ends with no conclusion, the relationship seemed to be doomed even if we wanted to imagine it could go forward. Worse, their relationship seemed meaningless; they understood each other (in the "soulmate-like way"), yet they couldn't find fulfillment apart or together. This left me feeling cynical.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book out of the bargain bin at my local bookstore years and years ago and I still remember the way I felt the first time I read it.

I’ve read it about once a year since then, and I feel the same way every single time. It never dulls or dampens, and my feelings for this story of long, enduring, but probably not in the right place love, seem to almost grow each time.

This is a simple story. Isaac loves Nora and Nora loves Isaac in the way she knows how. Neither of them are grand people, neither have achieved everything they want to, and they’re not quite right for one another, but they’ve loved each other for all these years - even the ones where they were apart - all the same.

The simple act of Nora calling Isaac in the middle of the night - the start of the story - and not saying anything, yet him knowing it’s her, sets up for 289 pages of a love story that is flawed and painful and never just right, but worth it all the same.

Simple and quick and with an ending that kind of lets the reader decide what’s going to happen to Isaac and Nora, this book will always be one of my go to books for comfort and something to read to set my mind at ease. This is not a story of a perfect love or two perfect people, this is a story of two imperfect people living their lives in the way they know how. There are no clear winners, no real losers, no hero and no villain, just two flawed people who don’t know how to fully move on from one another, and I love everything about that.

I’ll likely read this book again next year and feel exactly the same way, and then probably every year after that.

[Melinda Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some reviewers found this novel to be funny; I think it's rather sad. It is the portrayal of a gifted author who finds she can only write fiction about people she loves and knows well, and in doing so, reveals their hidden foibles, insecurities and blemishes. The sad thing is this: she feels that her exposure of dear friends, those she can't live without, should be forgiven, because that's just the way she is!
"But if you don't have anyone in your life, who will you write stories about? You won't have anyone's secrets to spill."
"To live in the world of creation - to get into it and stay in it - to frequent it and haunt it - to think intensely and fruitfully - to woo combinations into being by a depth and continuity of attention and meditation - this is the only thing." Henry James

[Brigid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nora Howard is a writer stuck in a rut who reaches out to Isaac, an old flame still in love with her. Nora is a funny character; I liked her pop culture asides, but most of all I liked how silly she was. Nora is the kind of person who needs to eat two chocolate bars in a row to work up the energy and/or courage to break up with her condescending boyfriend, Benjamin. Little details like that make me love books like Florence Gordon (also by Brian Morton) and A Window Across the River. The ending to this book was a little abrupt and did not charm me the same way Florence Gordon’s ending did, but I enjoyed this book a lot.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel of uncertain romance between two long-time but inconsistent companions. Most valuable in the telling is how Nora and Issac express their understanding of the other, not always to the other, bringing their relationship a kind of hard-won familiarity that can forgive (or can it?) the larger grievances that arise. Whether these two can forgive their own transgressions, however (and this should not be assumed), is a question that brings the novel even more truthfulness in its telling. All the fragility and only some of the hope; that's the view we're given here.

[Windi · Rating 2 out of 5]

All i can say - is thank goodness it is over!
What a promising story that fizzled to pathetic characters so caught up in themselves that the true story couldn't build; at least i couldn't find it.
This was my 2nd attempt at reading - the first one i abandoned because i didn't like the characters - but the first line kept drawing me back and years later, I tried again. This time i was determined to finish......but i wish i hadn't. Just my opinion which really doesn't matter in the scheme of things.........but there it is.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morton writes his mature characters with problems and pockmarks. Certainly not one-dimensional. I was working hard to give this four stars, but I just wasn't engaged enough with the story. The plot moved smoothly, the atmospheres of New York and New Jersey clearly depicted. The "thought bubble" chapters and the dialog rang true. But I felt like someone was telling me this second hand rather than me experiencing it myself. It would make a perfect book club read.

[James Dill · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I really thought I was going to love this book. I liked it and I am glad I read it, don't get me wrong. Nice setting and interesting charachters, writer drama and NYC - what could be better. But what bothered me ultimately was the narration, too much. As writers we are always told to show, not tell. I felt the book would have come across better with the characters telling the story. Maybe its just me.

[Mary Wilt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this after "Started Out in the Evening", and it would be hard to say which I preferred. The multiple reviews saying this is a "character driven" novel are correct, or possibly it might be phrased as a character focused work. If you are also a fiction writer, you'll recognize the ethical dilemma at the heart of the story.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book well enough. I like reading about relationships and their challenges but it was hampered by an unlikable main character. It was mostly an enjoyable read but I dislike nebulous endings.