Halbman Steals Home

Rotchin’s talents for character are on fine display in the darkly comical Mort Halbman. At 65, he’s an incorrigible curmudgeon yearning to make amends for his former missteps. A diehard Montreal Expos fan, Halbman pilots his Jaguar to a tony Canadian enclave to see the house he built 35 years ago for his family. A suspicious fire has devoured the home, but Halbman returns again and again, gaining the attention of authorities who accuse him of arson. Complicating matters is his pesky ex-wife, Mona (who he divorced in their seventh year of marriage) and her boyfriend; Halbman’s new love interest; and Jacob, his gay son, who’s scouting for rabbis to officiate his marriage. “It may be too late for you, but he deserves a shot at happiness,” Mona tells Halbman. A plethora of Jewish jabs and general calamity follow, with Rotchin doing a decent job of keeping plot points simmering in a narrative that incorporates hot-button issues like gay marriage, vengeful ex-lovers, and the power of redemption. As impressively crafted as his debut novel, The Rent Collector, Rotchin’s follow-up will entertain those searching for an uncomplicated, engaging read. Agent: Westwood Creative Arts. (Feb.)