Bernice Rubens

A Five-Year Sentence

The Elected Member

Norman is the clever one of a close-knit Jewish family in the East End of London--infant prodigy, brilliant barrister, the apple of his parents' eyes--until at forty-one he becomes a drug addict, confined to his bedroom at the mercy of his hallucinations and paranoia. For Norman, his committal to a mental hospital represents the ultimate act of betrayal. For Rabbi Zweck, Norman's father, his son's deterioration is a bitter reminder of his own guilt and failure.