On special assignment, young journalist Annie is sent to interview Jack Cohen, a 107-year-old man living in a seniors’ care home, Jack eagerly shares his life story—one that stretches across a century of history, from the Great Depression and World War II to the boomer years, disco, and beyond.

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Born in a poor Jewish neighbourhood in Toronto in 1914, Jack was the eldest of five. After the death of his mother during childbirth, he was left to care for his siblings while his father worked long hours. Things were not easy for Jack, and hardship seemed to follow him—through boyhood, manhood, and fatherhood—but his father’s advice, “Adapt! Do the right thing at the right time,” became his guiding light. Sometimes it carried him through. . . . Sometimes it led him astray. . . .

 

For Annie, Jack’s story is riveting, romantic, and sorrowful. But Jack is quick to point out her naivety, warning her that life is not a fairy tale. Life, he tells her, is a series of choices—some wise, some costly—and the learning never ends.

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Inspired by true stories from the author’s father, A Flicker of Time is a sweeping historical drama about resilience, love, and the endurance of the human spirit.