That Time of Year

"Edward Engelberg has written a most compelling tale about the sunset days in a professor's life, marking each of Jack Morris's wounds with delicacy and accuracy. Husband, father, teacher, Jack is losing ground in each of these positions, and the result is a moving portrait, etched with care, skill, and lingering beauty. Densely absorbing, meticulously composed, That Time of Year is a work of high seriousness, and I recommend it highly."-Alan Lelchuk, author of American Mischief, Brooklyn Boy, and Ziff: A Life?

After forty years in the classroom, the joy of teaching has gradually disappeared for Jack Morris, a professor of literature at a New England university. The gulf between him (growing older) and the students (always the same age) has widened. Contributing to his problem are a false accusation of sexual assault from a former student, the "outing" of his only son, the romantic problems his oldest daughter faces, and the fact that his wife is at the top of her game.

Should he voluntarily retire? With his world collapsing around him, Morris faces one of the most difficult decisions of his career-and his life.