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Broken English, Lovely HebrewSeveral years ago I read about a young man named Jonathan Safran Foer in Rolling Stone. He appeared in the “People of the Year” issue as one of the hot authors of the year. The recommendation about his novel, Everything Is Illuminated, was enough to get me into a Barnes & Noble and buy a copy of the book. And so it sat on my bookshelf, for some time.
Lately, a recurrence of desire to read has struck me, and so I’ve started pulling unread or partially read books off my shelf and diving into them. Let me just say that the recommendation was a good one. Everything Is Illuminated is hands-down one of the funniest yet most serious, oddly yet beautifully written books I’ve ever read.
The novel centers around our hero, the author, and his odyssey to the Ukrainian Republic to find the place of his ancestors. Throw in a translator who speaks broken English, a driver who is blind, and a dog (the driver’s “seeing-eye bitch”) named Sammy Davis Junior, Junior, and you have quite a tale unfolding in the Ukranian countryside. Interwoven in to this fantastic voyage in modern times are the unusual tales surrounding the small schetl (read: hebrew word for town) are odd, touching, appauling, and ridiculous. The result: a mixed narrative as serious as it is hilarious. A great read.
Update:
I just finished it, and let me reiterate how excellent and moving this novel is. I recommend you read it. Yes, you.
Posted February 1, 2005 02:02 PM
Comments
Everything is Illuminated is a phenomenal book.
Posted by: Cyndi at February 1, 2005 01:39 AM
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2005/02/08/xxxix_rates_a_perfect_10/
Jonnnnnnnnnnnnn-this link will prove that I was right and you were wrong, well, i was also wrong, but more right than you!!!!!!!!
reaching an estimated 133.7 million viewers
Posted by: Bobby Fisher at February 8, 2005 06:32 PM