My Father's Tears

"Drinking a toast to the visible world, his impending disappearance from it be damned." That's how John Updike describes an elderly character in his remarkable final collection. He might have been talking about himself. In My Father's Tears, Updike revisits his people, places, and themes--Americans in suburbs, cities, and small towns grappling with faith and infidelity--in vivid portraits of the aged, people for whom the past has become paramount. My Father's Tears is a superb set of tales that is a vital and unforgettable farewell.