"I read it in a single sitting—the writing is wonderful, rich,
evocative and truly unique. Hill's novel is strong for all that it does
say, and all that it leaves to the reader's imagination. There's
something poetic in the best of ways about the way that the lines and
language unfold. This book reminds me of Cheever and Yates and a young
Rick Moody."—AM Homes
“From the first glorious sentence to its last astounding word, Robert Hill’s When All Is Said and Done
is a treasure. The sophisticated wit and luxurious language of this
brilliant novel weave a story of one family's complex heart and history
and their journey through 1950s/60s suburban Connecticut and all its
prejudices. Read this American saga and weep.”—Tom Spanbauer
It is the early 1960s, and Myrmy stubs her toe in the predawn hours on
her way to soothe her infant son, cursing the latest nurse for not
waking up, again. Dressed to the nines, it is Myrmy who is off to
an executive position writing advertising copy for shampoo. Her
husband, Dan, who fought in two wars, sell ties and cooks dinner.
A Jewish couple living in an exclusive suburb of New York, Myrmy powers
through her life in high heels and Dan silently suffers the mysterious
aftereffects of a radiation experiment conducted by the military.
Together they raise a family.
Robert Hill offers a distinctive and breathless portrayal of an
ordinary and extraordinary marriage told through the alternating voices
of husband and wife. When All Is Said and Done is steeped in an
era, but the anatomy of a marriage—comprised of humor, fear, love, and
vulnerability—resonates through the ages.
“What’s extraordinary about Robert Hill’s lyrical and lovely debut novel, When All Is Said and Done, is that he finds the poetry in ordinary, everyday life—marriage, family, work, pain, beauty, awe.”—Helen Schulman
“When All Is Said and Done is a fresh, high-velocity cry from
the heart, showing that love is the rose and the thorn at once, and
that Mr. Robert Hill has taken a running start into what they used to
call the literary scene.” —Ron Carlson
"Lively and quirky and effervescent with beautiful, unpredictable language and fresh details."—Edmund White
Visit www.whenallissaidanddone.com
