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Unknown Caller
For as long Daniella has been married to Joel, they've received phone calls at odd hours, and late at night. Daniella knows the caller as Liesel, Joel's first wife, a woman whose sudden departure devastated her husband. After years of disruptive, long-distance phone calls, Liesel rings to tell Joel she's letting Idzia, the seventeen-year-old daughter he has never met, visit for the summer. Daniella and Joel prepare for Idzia's arrival, but when Joel goes to pick her up from the airport, Idzia isn't there. Back at home, the phone calls suddenly stop, and Joel and Daniella become haunted by the absence of someone who was never part of their life to begin with.
Debra Spark's fourth novel, Unknown Caller, tells the story of a brief, failed marriage and its complicated aftermath. Leaping effortlessly across decades and continents, it works to uncover the reasons for Idzia and Liesel's disappearance and the deeper puzzle of Liesel's identity.
Spark's candid, intricate novel highlights the near-impossibility of truly knowing another person, the pain in failing relationships, and the joy in successful ones.
Debra Spark's fourth novel, Unknown Caller, tells the story of a brief, failed marriage and its complicated aftermath. Leaping effortlessly across decades and continents, it works to uncover the reasons for Idzia and Liesel's disappearance and the deeper puzzle of Liesel's identity.
Spark's candid, intricate novel highlights the near-impossibility of truly knowing another person, the pain in failing relationships, and the joy in successful ones.
292 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2016
11 people are currently reading
375 people want to read
About the author
Debra Spark
17Ìýbooks29Ìýfollowers is the author of The Pretty Girl, a collection of stories about art and deception that will be published in April 2012 by . She is the author of the novels Coconuts for the Saint, The Ghost of Bridgetown and Good for the Jews. Spark edited the best-selling anthology Twenty Under Thirty: Best Stories by America's New Young Writers and her popular lectures on writing are collected in Curious Attractions: Essays on Fiction Writing. Spark has also written for Esquire, Ploughshares, The New York Times, Food and Wine, Yankee, Down East, The Washington Post, Maine Home + Design and The San Francisco Chronicle, among other places. She has been the recipient of several awards including a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, a Bunting Institute fellowship from Radcliffe College, and the John Zacharis/Ploughshares award for best first book. She is a professor at Colby College and teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College and lives with her husband and son in North Yarmouth, Maine.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 27, 2017
Sixty Maine libraries signed up to participate in a new program called "ReadME" that highlights Maine authors. Best-selling author Monica Wood selected "Unknown Caller" by Debra Spark, and "The Moth: 50 True Stories," as this year’s two ReadME books. I heard about this from Maine Public Radio's Maine Calling show. Monica Wood's "One In A Million Boy" was one of my favorite books last year, so I was interested to read what she'd recommended.
I might even give this 4.5 stars. The story was a bit confusing as the timeline ran backwards as well as switching back & forth between multiple characters. I got a bit lost and needed to go back and reread earlier parts, but as the characters and their stories began to fall into place, I found myself reversing my opinions about the two main characters several times. In the end, I'd still guessed wrong about what had actually happened! It was hard to put this book down as I wanted to find out how the story was going to come together. Very satisfying read.
I might even give this 4.5 stars. The story was a bit confusing as the timeline ran backwards as well as switching back & forth between multiple characters. I got a bit lost and needed to go back and reread earlier parts, but as the characters and their stories began to fall into place, I found myself reversing my opinions about the two main characters several times. In the end, I'd still guessed wrong about what had actually happened! It was hard to put this book down as I wanted to find out how the story was going to come together. Very satisfying read.
December 23, 2016
This is a wonderfully thought-provoking novel. It kept me guessing throughout with its multi-layered characters that revealed themselves more and more fully across times and places. The storyline covers a variety of jobs and locations and personal connections, all realistic. It's amazing the different roles we might all play in others' lives, and we can never fully know one another.
February 18, 2024
I rounded the last novel I read up by one star, and methinks that’s what I’m doing here. Right now, I’m thinking a 3.5.
The selling point of this novel, the marketing copy, centers on a man who endures middle of the night calls by his ex-wife, Leisel, demanding money in child support for the daughter he did not know he had until five years after her birth. Despite Joel’s attempts to track them down and start a relationship with the daughter, Idzia, he is unable. But the tables turn one night in 2005 when Leisel asks Joel to take Idzia for the summer. Beyond an emailed photo and flight itinerary no additional news follows…and Joel arrives at the airport to find his daughter isn’t there. What’s more, all communication from Leisel suddenly ceases.
The second chapter of part 1 takes us to London, where Leisel and Idzia are currently living. We learn that Leisel is suffering from likely terminal cancer, giving reason for her sudden interest in letting Idzia meet her father. But before the date of departure, Idzia is on the London tube on 7/7, the day of the terror bombings.
Obvious questions arise from here: did Idzia survive? Did Leisel survive? Will Joel ever get any answers? But the rest of part 1 is dedicated to going back ever further in time, to gain a fuller context of Joel and especially Leisel as people. We don’t know until part 2 what happened in the 2005 plot, but we have a far better understanding than any of the characters on their own what came before.
It’s the type of writing that’s praised by Spark’s literary friends/blurbers as containing “dazzlingly complex emotional landscapes� (Lauren Groff) and “illuminat[ing] the secret histories of her characters with uncomoon insight and compassion� (Tom Perrotta). Overblown praise, imho. Not that the narrative doesn’t give intriguing backstories for Leisel and Joel (plus a meet-and-greet that even they, in the moment, should have probably realized wouldn’t lead to a healthy relationship. But I guess people are stupid when they’re lonely.)
But there’s a little bit of conglomeration of melodrama. Plus, this backward vignette style which maybe gives good character moments but not necessarily story cohesion. Dang it, in my old age, it seems I have more respect for plot or something. :P Or maybe it’s the idea of a throughline where the themes are a little more profound than “look at these complicated and tragic characters.� There’s no arc or growth—except for the reader, perhaps, as we backwards realize just what the hell is up with Joel and especially Leisel.
As for the Jewish content it’s a liiiitle higher than nominal, so I’ll keep my GoodReads shelf in tact. :P Joel’s sister is a religious school teacher, not that we see her in more than snatches. There’s a couple references to touring a synagogue, wedding rituals and Leisel’s conversion. (Leisel’s maiden name is very “Jewey,� and the fact that she’s not of the tribe has foreshadowing resonance later. Or earlier. :P)
Part 2, not to give too much a way, is about characters trying to bridge the gap when they find each other in 2013. Spark shies away from scenes of easy forgiveness but also of complete blowouts in defense of preconceived narratives. There was emotional pathos and I was invested. It’s a story I enjoyed in the moment but I don’t think there’s much that will stick with me. I suppose I’m a hypocrite, but I like that there’s space for a small story like this, but I still wish that it had more to offer. The ending felt like a good conclusion, though, so I’ll let my rating stay there.
The selling point of this novel, the marketing copy, centers on a man who endures middle of the night calls by his ex-wife, Leisel, demanding money in child support for the daughter he did not know he had until five years after her birth. Despite Joel’s attempts to track them down and start a relationship with the daughter, Idzia, he is unable. But the tables turn one night in 2005 when Leisel asks Joel to take Idzia for the summer. Beyond an emailed photo and flight itinerary no additional news follows…and Joel arrives at the airport to find his daughter isn’t there. What’s more, all communication from Leisel suddenly ceases.
The second chapter of part 1 takes us to London, where Leisel and Idzia are currently living. We learn that Leisel is suffering from likely terminal cancer, giving reason for her sudden interest in letting Idzia meet her father. But before the date of departure, Idzia is on the London tube on 7/7, the day of the terror bombings.
Obvious questions arise from here: did Idzia survive? Did Leisel survive? Will Joel ever get any answers? But the rest of part 1 is dedicated to going back ever further in time, to gain a fuller context of Joel and especially Leisel as people. We don’t know until part 2 what happened in the 2005 plot, but we have a far better understanding than any of the characters on their own what came before.
It’s the type of writing that’s praised by Spark’s literary friends/blurbers as containing “dazzlingly complex emotional landscapes� (Lauren Groff) and “illuminat[ing] the secret histories of her characters with uncomoon insight and compassion� (Tom Perrotta). Overblown praise, imho. Not that the narrative doesn’t give intriguing backstories for Leisel and Joel (plus a meet-and-greet that even they, in the moment, should have probably realized wouldn’t lead to a healthy relationship. But I guess people are stupid when they’re lonely.)
But there’s a little bit of conglomeration of melodrama. Plus, this backward vignette style which maybe gives good character moments but not necessarily story cohesion. Dang it, in my old age, it seems I have more respect for plot or something. :P Or maybe it’s the idea of a throughline where the themes are a little more profound than “look at these complicated and tragic characters.� There’s no arc or growth—except for the reader, perhaps, as we backwards realize just what the hell is up with Joel and especially Leisel.
As for the Jewish content it’s a liiiitle higher than nominal, so I’ll keep my GoodReads shelf in tact. :P Joel’s sister is a religious school teacher, not that we see her in more than snatches. There’s a couple references to touring a synagogue, wedding rituals and Leisel’s conversion. (Leisel’s maiden name is very “Jewey,� and the fact that she’s not of the tribe has foreshadowing resonance later. Or earlier. :P)
Part 2, not to give too much a way, is about characters trying to bridge the gap when they find each other in 2013. Spark shies away from scenes of easy forgiveness but also of complete blowouts in defense of preconceived narratives. There was emotional pathos and I was invested. It’s a story I enjoyed in the moment but I don’t think there’s much that will stick with me. I suppose I’m a hypocrite, but I like that there’s space for a small story like this, but I still wish that it had more to offer. The ending felt like a good conclusion, though, so I’ll let my rating stay there.
September 18, 2017
I so wanted to like this novel, but it deflated like a soufflé in the end. Monica Wood selected this book for a state-wide read. She should have selected her own novel, "The One in a Million Boy", which is far superior.
February 7, 2017
I'd looked forward to reading Unknown Caller for a couple of years, having read the first chapter online. Its set-up was intriguing: a phone call in the middle of the night from his ex-wife prepares a man to meet his young adult daughter for the first time. When he goes to the airport to pick her up she isn't there; he doesn't hear from his ex or his daughter again. I had to know what happened next! The book requires some work for the reader: the story moves back and forth in time and follows several characters in Europe and America. A lot happens, and each character has a rich, complex back story. I was drawn in, learned to care about each one, even if I didn't understand them. There was no neat, tidy ending; yet I found reason for hope. This is Debra Spark's best book yet!
September 13, 2017
The best part of this book was its structure. Because it goes back in time from one chapter to another, the backward path of the story made me reconsider my thoughts and judgments of the characters. I think if it had been told as a story from day one up to present, it wouldn't have had nearly as much to offer. But even with the format, the ending was just so-so. The structure of the book warranted a stronger ending than we get.
October 1, 2016
Mainer Spark weaves a compelling tale about regular people whose lives twist together in surprising ways. Subtlely Spark makes us consider and reconsider each character as the story unfolds forwards and backwards, beaming from one country to the next.
June 3, 2017
I love it already! A page turner for me!
Wow...great character development!!
Read as part of the Maine Humanities Council's "Read ME" program.
Wow...great character development!!
Read as part of the Maine Humanities Council's "Read ME" program.
June 12, 2017
I loved everything about this book. The language, the craft, the storytelling, the characters ... it's all staying with me long after I turned the last page. This is a book I will read and reread.
December 6, 2017
Intriguing story
January 2, 2019
I taught this book to a class of college senior Creative Writing majors, and they really enjoyed it.
July 28, 2022
The intro is crunchy, it leaves you wondering what will happen next. Sparks is able to give all of her characters a distinct voice and paint good images in the readers head. I took a few great quotes from this book and I will turn back to them to help me with my own writings. The book is a steady read however I grew more and more impatient as the book progressed since it kept going back in time, I believe that this novel had potential from the start to become a fan favorite if it would have gone in a different direction like I imagined it would. A few flashbacks are good but the whole book is about the past which without a doubt lets the reader lose track of what the main plot of the novel is and doesn't do Idzia justice as a character. I personally wanted to know more about Idzia and what happened to her project. It left so many unanswered questions in my mind and fed me information that didn't really cross my mind as important to the story. There is too big of a gap between Idzia dropping her project and her reappearance to the story for this reason i have to give this novel two stars.
Thanks for the copy of the book.
keep writing,
Adomaitis Valenzuela
Thanks for the copy of the book.
keep writing,
Adomaitis Valenzuela
April 9, 2019
This book has been on my to-read list for over a year and finally downloaded a copy. A very fast read. I can’t find a good way to describe the book. The book is about the brief marriage and divorce of Joel and Liesel. Liesel and Joel were flawed characters and neither was very likable, but I couldn’t understand why Liesel would not let Joel get to know his daughter Idzia. Having a hard time writing something about this book, but I have enough here to help me remember the book when making a suggestion.
June 1, 2017
Not enthralled by Monica Wood's choice for Maine Humanities June Summer Read. Don't love the characters, their emotional fragility on the edge of mental illness, the lying and deceit. Glad to finish it. Should be interesting discussion.
April 16, 2019
This book was very absorbing, but the ending left me dangling. I needed more resolution. Or information. Or something. Maybe I didn't; the book jumped around so much that it was hard to track at times.
September 9, 2021
Interesting narrative structure and interesting multidimensional characters (about whom you will keep changing your mind)�.While I’m not sure it completely holds together as a novel, this was a compelling and ultimately quite satisfying read.
August 3, 2017
3.5 stars
August 13, 2017
The story of an estranged ex wife and her background unfolds in this story. It was a little disjointed for my liking.
September 19, 2017
Skipped through. Started out well, but became cumbersome as I got into it.
March 2, 2020
The caller was never unknown. This story was awful and I hated that it went sort of in backwards chronological order. It is a mess and confusing.
January 22, 2022
I got halfway through this and had to skip forward. Too much filler, not a very interesting story. Didn’t hold my attention.
April 29, 2024
The caller was never unknown. I actually did like this book, but it definitely was not the mystery the cover and synopsis indicated. More "unknown" in the sense that the woman herself was a mystery.
December 19, 2016
Doesn't hang together....
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December 17, 2017What kept me engaged in this story was how the author moved backward and forward in time, unfolding the narrative bit by bit from different points of view. With each new revelation, how I saw the character and what I thought about their motivations changed. I did feel, though, that the book sort of petered out, after getting all the characters together, as though the author had gotten tired of writing it. There were so many interesting potential conversations that were missing after all that.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
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