by David Bachner

“This is Arnold’s first and longest abiding memory: Nathan in the lead, Arnold coming along behind, following this person destined to inspire and trouble him the most. This person he will always love the most.”

So begins Kirinski’s Life & Times, the story of fraternal twins who are non-identical in almost every way.  Nathan is the mercurial, brilliant, and once-renowned philosopher who turns his back on academia and disappears for years at a time. Arnold is the even-tempered, responsible, accomplished but conventional professor of history.  Set across America, the Middle East, and Asia, the novel is a composite of memoir, mystery, psychological exploration, and philosophical reflection. Kirinski’s Life & Times recounts the brothers’ separate lives, their relationship, and, ultimately, their interwoven quests for meaning and fulfillment.

“Kirinski’s Life & Times is original, lyrical, and powerful. From its knockout beginning, through the tale of the twins’ coming of age and maturity, to the crisis of hurricane Sandy’s devastation of the Jersey Shore, this surely paced and evocatively placed novel blends past and present in rich detail.  Often, I found myself tearing up at the beauty and energy of the language depicting the worlds both Kirinskis travelled, and the poignancy of their sometimes separate, sometimes shared journeys. A thrill to read.”

Ginnah Howard, author of Night Navigation,
a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice