Givers and Takers

A Novel

“You’re joking!” Perela exploded. “I left my entire family home in the care of…I’m not even sure who—to help you out, Eli! So you could come later! And all you do is take advantage of me!”

Eli’s face resembled Pesach borscht. “I don’t have anywhere to leave him. There’s no babysitter who can keep him safe.”

“Fine, okay,” Perela muttered. “Leave him here.”

Kaily had just opened the door to escape when they all heard the telltale sound of wheels down the hallway.

Everyone froze.

Roiza stood there, her eyes boring into each of her kids. Even Chuni stopped twirling the cup he held.

“So this is how it is,” she said slowly, her voice catching. “My kids are fighting because of me.”

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The last thing Roiza Handler’s adult children want to do is fight over their mother’s care.

But what happens when the roles of givers and takers are reversed? When needs, wants, and musts collide in a multi-layered storyline so typical of caregivers? And…can one still give when her faculties betray her?

Written by talented author Chanie Spira, Givers and Takers weaves the plot of a single mother thrust into the role of her own mother’s caregiver, with the drama of her younger sister’s heady new position…and its surprising repercussions. Realistic and poignant, this is a novel that touches all the right spots and examines the fallacies carried unknowingly by so many of us.

Join Roiza, Kaily, and Perela as they navigate their reversed roles and find the giver and taker within themselves.

By Chanie Spira