The Shape of the Eye: a Memoir

“This is a poignant, beautifully written and intensely moving memoir, and I think only one writer in the world, George Estreich, could possibly have pulled this off. It will become part of the canon of narratives that are studied and taught in medical humanities courses.” 

--Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone

“In this wise and moving memoir, George Estreich tells the story of his family as his younger daughter, Laura, is diagnosed with Down Syndrome and they are thrust into an unexpected, unfamiliar world.  Estreich writes beautifully, with a poet's eye and gift of language, weaving this personal journey into the larger history of his family, exploring the deep and often hidden connections between the past and the present.  Engaging and unsentimental, The Shape of the Eye taught me a great deal.  It is also a book I couldn't put down, a story I found myself thinking about long after I'd finished the final pages.”

--Kim Edwards, author of The Memory Keeper's Daughter

“This book is beautifully written, poetically insightful, and personally transformative. To read it is to rethink everything and to be happy because of the journey.”

--Timothy P. Shriver, Ph.D., Chairman & CEO of Special Olympics

People: "This elegantly written, unsentimental memoir . . . "

MORE Magazine: “A father’s eloquent, searching memoir.” [Ranked by MORE Magazine as one of  “Five Books That Will Transform The Way You Think”]

Booklist [starred review]: “An elegantly written, luminous, and profoundly human portrait of pain and sorrow, hope and cautious optimism.” 

Kirkus Review: "The moving, heartbreakingly lucid story about how a family learned to cope with, and ultimately appreciate, a daughter born with Down syndrome."

H-Disability:  "...the language that he uses to articulate his emotional world is rich, vivid, and arresting... he seeks to convey the raw and competing emotions of love, resentment, confusion, and admiration as he goes about his daily caring for his daughter."

The Yale Journal for Humanities in Medicine: "Skip the rest of this book review, and get the book I describe..."

Motherwell: "A stunning meditation on raising and loving a child with Down syndrome. The beauty and lyricism of the prose, alongside Estreich’s careful attention to detail, will sink deep into your bones ... Never overly sentimental and always vitally honest, this memoir will stay with you long after you close the covers."

Literary Mama: "The Shape of the Eye is meticulously researched, introspective yet not sentimental, and written in absorbing and rich prose. . . . Estreich's gift for writing is extraordinary, his prose wry and evocative."