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Judith Kirscht is the author of two novels: NOWHERE ELSE TO GO (Florida Academic Press, 2012), and THE INHERITORS (New Libri Press, 2012).
Born and raised in Chicago and educated at the Universities of Chicago and Michigan, Judith Kirscht taught writing for many years at the Universities of Michigan and California, Santa Barbara before retiring to Washington State to devote herself to writing fiction. In addition to the novels, she has published professional articles and a textbook (co-authored) on academic writing as well as short stories.
Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers' Favorite
The year is 1980 and Alicia Barron is back in her hometown in Chicago. She is attending the funeral service of her childhood friend whose whole family perished in an automobile accident. This is a close community but Alicia feels like an outsider even to her own mother who also attends the service. This brings back memories of Alicia’s childhood, her college years and her participation in the protest against the Vietnam War. Alicia is an only child whose father supposedly died in Korea before she was born. She is raised alone by her mother in the Mexican neighborhood as a Latino. Her background is a mystery even to herself. She has grown up without relatives and with a scant family history. She starts teaching in her old elementary school where she falls in love with Ricardo Moreno, a fellow teacher. Although still bothered by her past, she settles down to a normal life. The death of her mother will turn everything upside down when she inherits an estate and a family home and discovers her real heritage.
"The Inheritors" by Judith Kirscht is a powerful novel that centers on the conflict between races and nationalities. This novel gives us a glimpse of a Latino community in Chicago, an industrial city with diverse nationalities. We learn about their dreams and biases and how they cope with living in a country they cannot really call their own. The story is set in the turbulent times of the 1960's until the 1980's. The author successfully employs the use of flashbacks to tell her narrative. Obviously well researched, the novel explores the tension between the Italians, Mexicans, the Irish and other nationalities who have to live together in one community. It also explores the character of a woman who is subjected to racial, class and family conflicts during this time. Above all, "The Inheritors" is the story of love, the great love of a mother who is willing to sacrifice even her past to protect her unborn daughter. It is the story of Alicia and Ricardo's love that is put under strain by forces that are beyond their control. And this is what makes this novel appealing to readers. Will love triumph in the end? This is the question that I asked myself as I read the final chapters of this compelling narrative.
