In this intimate, genre-blending book, Gil Frank reconstructs the life he shared with his late wife Yocheved, a Jamaican-Jewish activist and fundraiser whose luminous presence continues to shape him after her death. When Gil discovers her hidden poems, letters to previous lovers, and a Word file titled “What Went Wrong,”—the “nasty letter”—he realizes she once contemplated leaving him, unless he commit to changed. These uncovered secrets compel him to rewrite their story—transforming grief into revelation, confession into renewal. The book unfolds in two intertwined voices. In The Book of Yocheved: The Book of Decency, Yocheved speaks in a posthumous voice, recounting her journey from Kingston, where her grandfather founded the island’s first synagogue, through Lausanne, Paris, America, Jerusalem, and Atlanta. Her narrative weaves together activism, sensuality, and faith. She evokes her work in Jewish humanitarian causes, her complex loves, and her devotion to her daughters, particularly Ruth and Naomi, whom she strives to protect from an abusive marriage after the tragic loss of her second daughter, Batsheva. Facing breast cancer—ironically nicknamed “Naughty”—Yocheved reclaims authorship of her life, crafting a testimony of courage, humor, and grace. In The Book of Gil: The Gift of Loving You, Gil becomes both mourner and witness. As he reads Yocheved’s files, he confronts the blind spots of love and his own need for control. Across seven reflective chapters—Writing Not to Die; Our Love Story Was Never a Given; In Amsterdam, the Birth of Pleasure Encircled Me; Yet, I Will Descend the Ladder; Risk Step Down the Ladder for Love; Lovecare; and Rapture, Yes—he retraces their union and his transformation. Through therapy, journaling, and acceptance of Yocheved’s decision to end treatment, he discovers what he calls “carelove”: a love grounded in attention, equality, and the pleasure of being together rather than desire or possession. Inspired by Toni Morrison’s line from Beloved—“a woman who is a friend of your mind”—Gil transforms mourning into a poetic and thoughtful dialogue between two minds. In his Author’s Note, Gil explains that this English version is a rewrite of his earlier book, Yocheved, the Friend of My Mind, after he translated it in French. Encouraged by his French editor Nicole to publish the full “nasty letter,” he also added thirty marginal reflections offering literary and emotional commentary on his choices of words and sentences—an inner voice forever conversing with his readers. Moving from Jamaica to Europe, America, and Jerusalem, The Friend of My Mind A Love Story becomes both requiem and rebirth—a meditation on how love endures beyond the body, sustained by language, forgiveness, and the courage to keep rewriting what remains unfinished.
books
The Friend of My Mind: A Love Story by Mr. Gil Frank
Product details
- ASIN : B0DX2B1VQZ
- Publisher : The Hours Press
- Publication date : February 12, 2025
- Language : English
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