Overview

It's 1926 in Toronto, and Emm Benbow pressures his wife to have babies for cash. An ambitious Emm Benbow convinces his wife, Izora, to enter the Great Stork Derby, a contest which offers a sizable cash award to the woman who has the most babies between 1926 and 1936. But soon his ambition turns into a ruthless obsession and addiction, and despite Izora's efforts, he is disappointed by his large family, and alienates himself from children. Fifty years later, and now a widower, Emm is told by his doctor that he can no longer live alone. His only choice is to move in with one of his many adult children or go to a dreaded old age home. Living in turn with each of his offspring, Emm is given the chance to make amends. Not an easy task, when they believe he drove their mother to an early grave and saw each of them as a price tag. Can he come to terms with the idea that the true value of fatherhood is not measured in big prizes, but in small rewards, and treat his children the way they deserve? A profound and delightful read, The Great Stork Derby explores the hardship endured during the Depression, the emergence of the women's and gay rights movements, and an earlier time when families interacted face-to-face around the dinner table. Highly charged with serious issues, plus the humor essential to confront them, you will turn the last page with a smile.

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9781925965674

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Reviews

In The Great Stork Derby, Ann S. Epstein illuminates with laser-like precision a family torn apart by obsession, and the choices that reassemble it. Michael Andreoni, Author, The Window is a Mirror Though the subject of a Canadian movie and a segment of NPR's This American Life, the Great Stork Derby, in which Toronto women competed to give birth to the most babies between 1926 and 1936 and win prize money bequeathed in the will of millionaire iconoclast Charles Vance Millar, will not be known to most readers of Ann S. Epstein's extraordinary novel. The story of 75-year-old widower Emm Benbow, who as a young husband pressured his wife to compete, now turning to each of his remaining children for a place to live, will break your heart even as it leaves you in awe of the resiliency of family. Daniel Mueller, Author, How Animals Mate and Nights I Dreamed of Hubert Humphrey Ann S. Epstein has created an engaging tale of family roles, secrets hidden in plain sight, an exploration of how perceptions can change depending on which family member is heard and whether they conformed or rebelled against the role placed on them as children. The Great Stork Derby was a financial prize created by a childless eccentric for the married couple who produced the most children in a decade starting against the Great Depression of the 1920s in Toronto. Widower Emm Benbow, proud of his role as breadwinner and faith that children are a wife's job, is forced to reconnect with his adult children after a fall at home leaves him with two choices: move in with one - his late wife had eight pregnancies, one of which was twins - or into a nursing home. His journey makes him question his values, discover some home truths about his children's view of their relationships as siblings and with their parents and grandparents, and ultimately whether keeping his eyes on the potential prize fatally damaged his chances to reconnect. Fortunately, Benbow is open to learning and there are plenty of moments of laughter and love as serious issues are explored and assumptions challenged. Emma Lee, Former Reviews Editor, The Blue Nib

In The Great Stork Derby, Ann S. Epstein illuminates with laser-like precision a family torn apart by obsession, and the choices that reassemble it. Michael Andreoni, Author, The Window is a Mirror Though the subject of a Canadian movie and a segment of NPR's This American Life, the Great Stork Derby, in which Toronto women competed to give birth to the most babies between 1926 and 1936 and win prize money bequeathed in the will of millionaire iconoclast Charles Vance Millar, will not be known to most readers of Ann S. Epstein's extraordinary novel. The story of 75-year-old widower Emm Benbow, who as a young husband pressured his wife to compete, now turning to each of his remaining children for a place to live, will break your heart even as it leaves you in awe of the resiliency of family. Daniel Mueller, Author, How Animals Mate and Nights I Dreamed of Hubert Humphrey Ann S. Epstein has created an engaging tale of family roles, secrets hidden in plain sight, an exploration of how perceptions can change depending on which family member is heard and whether they conformed or rebelled against the role placed on them as children. The Great Stork Derby was a financial prize created by a childless eccentric for the married couple who produced the most children in a decade starting against the Great Depression of the 1920s in Toronto. Widower Emm Benbow, proud of his role as breadwinner and faith that children are a wife's job, is forced to reconnect with his adult children after a fall at home leaves him with two choices: move in with one - his late wife had eight pregnancies, one of which was twins - or into a nursing home. His journey makes him question his values, discover some home truths about his children's view of their relationships as siblings and with their parents and grandparents, and ultimately whether keeping his eyes on the potential prize fatally damaged his chances to reconnect. Fortunately, Benbow is open to learning and there are plenty of moments of laughter and love as serious issues are explored and assumptions challenged. Emma Lee, Former Reviews Editor, The Blue Nib

Author Information

Ann S. Epstein writes novels, short stories, memoir, and essays. Her awards include a Pushcart Prize nomination for creative nonfiction, Walter Sullivan prize in fiction, and Editors' Choice selection by Historical Novel Review. Her other novels are On the Shore, Tazia and Gemma, and A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. Her work also appears in North American Review, Sewanee Review, PRISM International, Ascent, The Long Story, The Minnesota Review, and elsewhere. In addition to writing, she has a PhD in developmental psychology and MFA in textiles, which shape the content and imagery of her work. Her website is: asewovenwords.com

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