I'll be honest, I struggle with Jewish fiction sometimes. Specifically the novels concerning Jewish family life. I suspect I don't know enough about the culture to really engage as completely as I would like. I feel as if I am on the outside looking in, unsure as to whether or not I have actually received an invite to step inside.
The reason I mention this at all is that I have just read the first such novel that attempted to meet me half way. Oh Sweden! O Israel! by Stephan Mendel-Enk comes with a glossary at the end which, once I realised it was there, guided me through a sea of unfamiliar words and concepts and undoubtedly helped me better understand the novel itself.
And yes, I realise that I could have got off my arse and looked this stuff up myself before now but I don't like breaking off from reading to go and check something out somewhere else. Also, I am lazy.
But what about the novel itself?
The 80s are drawing to a close and a Jewish family in Gothenburg is about to become all dysfunctional. Around the time of his bah mitzvah, Jacob's mother leaves his father for another man, a gentile of all people. The effects of this are felt by the whole family for years to come, as we witness through a series of short pithy chapters. There are some enjoyable episodes, especially those involving grandparents.
Or this one about food, which actually made me do a laugh.
I have read plenty of Swedish novels and I have read plenty of Jewish novels, but never a Swedish Jewish one, so this was a first. And pretty good it was too. The narrative would jump about a bit along its own timeline which did make it difficult to follow in places and there wasn't enough of a resolution to completely satisfy this reader but it was short and funny and I cannot really complain.
Having said that, and making it absolutely clear that I was sent a free copy to review, I would raise an issue with the price. This is a 137-page paperback with an RRP of £12.99 which strikes me as really rather expensive. It is a bit larger than a normal paperback, in terms of height and width, but that is mainly because the margins are fucking vast. If I had paid for the bloody thing then I might be a bit miffed. My advice is to wait for a cheaper version to come out but it is worth seeking out once that happens.
Scott, you have no idea how much 'fucking vast' made me smile. I am having a boiler saga. All I do is wait for gas engineers, and then they come and then the boiler breaks again the next day. I want to weep with frustration and 'fucking vast' made me guffaw.
Posted by: nasim marie jafry | February 06, 2013 at 09:45 AM
You should try When We Were Bad by Charlotte Mendelson. That is all.
Posted by: Suzie | February 06, 2013 at 11:39 AM
Ooh, margins aside, I quite fancy this one.
What about Naomi Alderman's novel: Disobedience? I thought that was great.
Posted by: Samantha Lierens | February 06, 2013 at 11:57 AM
Sounds very interesting Scott. Thanks for the heads-up.
(And I quite agree that an in-book glossary is far nicer than having to hop online every few pages!)
Posted by: OyVaGoy | February 06, 2013 at 04:14 PM
Read Kavalier and Clay - and break that losing streak with Jewish fiction.
Posted by: Macon | February 06, 2013 at 06:12 PM