All I Love and Know

April 14, 2014
In Frank’s deeply moving second novel (after Crybaby Butch), Matt Greene and Daniel Rosen, a couple in Northampton, Mass., cope with the deaths of Daniel’s twin brother and his wife—Israeli citizens who are killed in a terrorist bombing in Jerusalem. Their will gives Daniel custody of the couple’s children, Gal and Noam, and Matt, who is used to getting by on good looks and charm, isn’t sure he can handle instant fatherhood. But while Daniel and the rest of the family are paralyzed by grief, Matt jumps in feet first to take charge. The couple is thus dismayed to learn that the Israeli courts, which can override wills for the sake of child welfare (or, in this case, homophobia), may deny custody of the children to them because they are gay. Moreover, Daniel causes controversy after he is interviewed for a newspaper story on the adoption case and, in the course of the interview, expresses sympathy for the Palestinians. As Daniel becomes more immersed in the custody battle, Matt feels increasingly ignored, until he explodes, creating a rift between the men. Frank shows a profound empathy for her characters, making this book heartbreaking, yet jubilantly hopeful. Agent: Ellen Geiger, Frances Goldin Literary Agency.

May 15, 2014

When Daniel Rosen's twin brother and sister-in-law are killed in a terrorist bombing in Israel, he and his partner, Matt, must fly to Jerusalem to make good on their promise to take in Joel and Ilana's children. Confronted not only with the horror of sudden and violent death, Daniel and Matt also have to navigate the issue of custody with both sets of grandparents and a bureaucratic state. But the real work begins once the children, six-year-old Gal and infant Noam, return with them to Massachusetts. Frank (Crybaby Butch) writes convincingly of the demands of small children on two people thrown into the deep end of parenting. Daniel and Matt's relationship suffers, but only Matt seems to notice it and tries to fight the dissolution. VERDICT Frank's ambitious twining of the gay parent story line and the complications of the situation in Israel for American Jews sometimes blends well but at other times feels forced. But overall, this is a thoughtful look at how grief isolates survivors and how families may, or may not, come together in crisis. For fans of domestic dramas, despite the political overtones.--Devon Thomas, Chelsea, MI

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Starred review from June 1, 2014
Frank chronicles the difficult adjustments of a gay family formed by tragedy in her compelling follow-up to Crybaby Butch (2004).As the novel opens, Matthew Greene, a self-described "normal, young, shallow queen," is on a plane to Tel Aviv with his devastated partner, Daniel Rosen, whose twin brother, Joel, and sister-in-law, Ilana, have just been killed by a suicide bomber. It's been four years since Matt fled the New York City whirl of drugs and casual sex to move in with the older, more sober Daniel in Northampton, Massachusetts, and both men are still slightly stunned by their opposites-attract relationship. The news that Joel and Ilana named Daniel guardian of 5-year-old Gal and baby Noam appalls her parents, devout Holocaust survivors, nor are the secular, American elder Rosens very happy about their grandchildren being raised by Matt, whom they don't really like. But the real problems, once Gal and Noam are settled in Northampton, stem from the overwhelming grief that makes Daniel a virtual specter in his new family. He's emotionally distant and critical of Matt's more relaxed parenting style; their conflicts are exacerbated by the volatile Gal, understandably given to acting out in the wake of hideous loss and traumatic relocation to a new nation, culture and language. It seems quite possible the men's relationship will not survive these stresses, which Frank explores in depth and without reassuring sentimentality. She also excels at the social backdrops for her characters' drama, from the fraught political climate in Israel (Daniel and Matt are both left-wing proponents of the peace process) to the cozy, gossipy world of gay and lesbian life in Northampton. Daniel isn't always very likable, but his disabling sorrow and controlling ways are believable impediments to his love for Matt and make it all the more moving to watch them work through to reconciliation.Strong storytelling driven by emotionally complex characters: first-rate commercial fiction.

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Starred review from May 1, 2014
This beautiful novel is old-fashioned in its approach, taking its sweet time to tell a tender love story between two flawed, good-hearted people, and yet it feels wholly fresh. Stylish graphic-designer Matthew Greene and cerebral magazine editor Daniel Rosen have made a quiet life for themselves in Northampton, Massachusetts. But that all changes when Daniel's twin brother and his wife are killed in a terrorist bombing in Jerusalem. They leave behind two children, irrepressible six-year-old Gal and baby Noam. Daniel has been named the children's guardian, much to the consternation of his parents and his brother's in-laws, who are Holocaust survivors and Israeli citizens. As Daniel, numb with grief, deals with the funeral arrangements and the Israeli courts, where his guardianship is being contested, Matthew struggles with the responsibilities of instant parenthood and the fact that his lover and best friend seems entirely changed. In her second novel (after Crybaby Butch, 2004), Frank not only explores the complexities of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict but also presents the difficulties gay partners face in navigating the court system. Above all, though, this is a compassionate, utterly compelling story of how family members, torn apart by tragedy, must reach deep within themselves to meet their greatest challenge.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)