Comments (0)Tales of the Ten Lost Tribes
November 6, 2009Phyllis Levin
Tamar Yellin
St. Martins Press 2009, $13.99, 212 pages (softcover)
Author Tamar Yellin, whose earlier novel, the prize-winning “The Genizah at the House of Shepher,” delved into the Holy City of Jerusalem while telling a beautifully-wrought story, turns her attention in her latest book to the legends of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, long ago lost to history. Her research into the subject is evidenced in the epigraphs to each of the ten tales, each named for one of the tribes and giving a hint to the character described therein.
The tales are connected and given the form of a novel by the unnamed narrator, whose life Yellin traces from its earliest beginnings, as he relates his encounters with those who become his friends and guides on his journey, both literal and figurative, throughout his life.
Lost himself as to his place in the world from early on, the narrator is a restless traveler, unable to settle in any one place. Inheriting his father’s interest in the ten lost tribes and his uncle’s rootlessness, he embarks on a lifelong quest for a place to call home. Along the way, he meets up with ten other lost souls who, like him, are searching for a meaning to their lives.
His encounters begin with the wandering, romanticised uncle, from whom he obtains a coveted fetish, a lemur’s foot purporting to show one the correct destination. Among those befriended on his travels are a ship’s steward who insinuates himself into the lives of his passengers, but is himself known by none; the insatiable bookseller, constantly searching for The Book!; an erudite professor whose exile from his homeland cripples all of his relationships; the girl who believes herself to be invisible, who becomes more so with familiarity; and others, each flawed in some way.
The narrator’s final encounter in the jungle, with the mysterious Isidore, leads him full circle to re-visiting those in his life who, like him, are seeking most desperately for somewhere to call home.
Yellin’s tales will prove fascinating to anyone who has ever felt the need to belong.
This Is Where I Leave You
October 30, 2009Rochelle Eisenberg
Staff Reporter
Jonathan Tropper
Dutton 2009, 339 pages, $25.95 (hardcover)
So many novels about dysfunctional families are depressing and often beg the question, “Do I know someone like this?”
Not so is Jonathan Tropper’s latest novel, “This is Where I Leave You.” What makes this novel special is that this family’s “dysfunction” is treated in a “normal” way, with the foibles of family life insightful, hilarious and completely believable.
The novel begins with the death of Judd Foxman’s father, Mort. Judd, the novel’s narrator, learns that, as a dying request, his father, an atheist, has asked that the Foxman family sit shiva for seven days.
Judd, along with his two brothers and sister and their respective spouses and children, arrive at the suburban home for the funeral and seven days of grieving. There is Wendy, married to a man whose main interest is making money; Paul and his wife, Alice, struggling with infertility; and Phillip, young brother and perpetual screw-up.; and their mother, Hillary, a psychologist who ironically wrote a best-seller, “Cradle and All: A Mother’s Guide to Enlightened Parenting.”
To make matters worse, Judd has recently become separated from his wife, Jen, after he discovered that she was having an affair with his shock-jock radio boss.
The novel takes place over the course of seven days. Throughout the novel, Mr. Tropper makes witty observations about everything from formal shiva rituals to relationships.
In between the humor, there are some dead-on observations of life: “You have to look at what you have right in front of you, at what it could be, and stop measuring it against what you’ve lost. I know this to be wise and true, just as I know that pretty much no one can do it.”
The only disappointment is a surprise twist at the end, which I didn’t think was necessary to move the story along. Overall, however, this is a humorous read, one that offers insights on life that many readers will find parallel their own experiences.