Bereft: A Sister's Story

In 1966, when the author was 17, her 21-year-old sister, Laura, was murdered for no apparent reason by David Mumbaugh, a man she didn't even know. The girls' bereaved parents, "practical people who passed on their distrust of the intangible," made it clear that they must all "get on with their lives" without further discussion. Not until 1989, when she had two daughters of her own and found herself stuck in a troubled marriage, did Jane Bernstein pull out a folder containing 23-year-old articles describing her sister's death. This sensitive memoir chronicles her subsequent investigation into the case and weaves an account of the intervening years of college, political activism, and several abortive stints of therapy to show that Bernstein was badly damaged by Laura's loss and their parents' refusal to let her grieve. As she twice testifies against Mumbaugh's parole, arguing that he hasn't changed and is still dangerous, the author begins to realize that her violent husband won't change either. Eventually, she is able to assimilate the impact of Laura's death and to leave her spouse. Yet this is not a bitter book: Bernstein displays great compassion for her parents' inability to voice their sorrow and for her husband's inability to control his anger. Her simple, subtle prose conveys understanding, not recrimination. --Wendy Smith