Reviews for The End of Her
“Riveting...a unique addition to the cold case subgenre, and a powerful mix of true crime and family memoir.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Jam-packed with suspense, emotional power, and a sense that there are few greater calls of duty than the one a son has to help his mother, it’s one of the best books of the year.”
—The Algemeiner
“While the book necessarily has its darker moments—the section relating Susan’s steady decline is heartbreaking—Hoffman knows how to spin a rollicking good yarn...More than anything, the book is a testament to the bonds of family, and Hoffman’s gift is inviting the reader into his, warts and all.”
—Hadassah Magazine
“A fascinating and well-written story that keeps one’s interest to the very last page.”
—Jewish Book Council
“Genealogists and detective story fans will enjoy his account of his widening search for clues to his great-grandmother’s century-old murder.”
—San Diego Jewish World
“A truly moving story accompanied by an engaging mystery.”
—Out in Print
“A compelling story...The End of Her is full of interesting personalities, thorough research, familial love and a satisfactory assumption of what really happened to Hoffman’s great grandmother.”
—The Miramichi Reader
“The description of Wayne’s watching his mother’s deterioration is moving to the point where it is impossible not to feel so totally saddened at the tragedy that has befallen the two women in his family who are the central characters in the book.”
—Jewish Post & News (Winnipeg)
“How wonderful to read a memoir by someone who loves his mother...The End of Her is one of those rare books where the different sections are not only equally interesting, but which come together as an extended portrait of a family.”
—The Reporter (Binghamton)
“Deftly combining elements of True Crime with family history and personal memoir, The End of Her: Racing Against Alzheimer's to Solve a Murder is one of those stories that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf.”
—Midwest Book Review
“The amount of information Hoffman is able to piece together from a wide variety of sources, including conflicting newspaper reports and official documents, is impressive.”
—The Jewish Independent (Vancouver)
“As a Manhattan journalist, Hoffman tries to solve the mystery of what really happened to his maternal great-grandmother Sarah, who was killed in Winnipeg in 1913. But it’s hard to crack a century-old unsolved murder with his mom declining from Alzheimer’s. Mixing true crime with this poignant personal crisis creates a unique and unputdownable family saga.”
—Susan Shapiro, author of The Forgiveness Tour: How to Find the Perfect Apology
“This is one of those rare, fine books that gives you two of the dearest gifts in literature: a story so consuming you forget time, and an author with the gift to spin, from these supposedly ordinary lives, a profound chronicle of identity, family, memory, and love—and suspense, too.”
—Boris Fishman, author of Savage Feast
“A murder mystery wrapped like a delicious knish around a familial love story. The End of Her is the story of a journalist attempting to solve the long-ago puzzle of who shot his great-grandmother in her bed in small-town Winnipeg in 1913. But the why of it is at the heart of this beautiful book. Wayne Hoffman throws himself into this old-fashioned shoe-leather reporting (a true education for budding journalists) because he wants to give his mother the gift of her history before he loses her completely to dementia. The book’s portrayal of Alzheimer’s is horrible and hilarious; Wayne’s voice is warm, deeply loving, drily funny and thankfully unsentimental.”
—Marjorie Ingall, author of Mamaleh Knows Best
“Wayne Hoffman has produced a fascinating and compelling story of his family history. Meticulously researched and skillfully written, he brilliantly weaves together the mystery of his great-grandmother’s murder long ago in Winnipeg, his nearly decade long search to find the truth about this tragic event, and his joyous and poignant relationship with his ailing mother that inspires him and propels his quest. In particular, his recreation of Winnipeg’s impoverished immigrant quarter during first decades of the twentieth century and the various complexities that shaped the lives of his great-grandparents and relatives is an absorbing tale rich with detail and vivid personalities.”
—Allan Levine, Winnipeg historian and author of Seeking the Fabled City: The Canadian Jewish Experience