While I cannot say that I did not enjoy this book, I can say that the ending left me a little confused and disappointed. I felt that the ending seemed rushed and did not fit accordingly with the rest of the book, from the build up to the (predicted) climatic ending, to the character development, it just did not seem to have the closure that a conclusion should offer. Here's why:
1. That one chapter by Bird
The book consistently followed a pattern of rotating between the three narrators as previously mentioned. However, all of a sudden in the last quarter of the book, Krauss throws in one random chapter narrated by Bird, Alma's little brother. Although throughout the novel, I found Bird interesting, I felt as though this chapter seemed random and only inserted because Krauss could not come up with a more creative and consistent way to make the characters cross paths. I did not understand why all the detail about Bird was provided for his role that turned out to be less than expected.
2. Random details
Krauss gave us a lot of details throughout the book and after you finish, all you can think is "why??". One major example of this was all the emphasis on the Jewish religion, through Bird's practices, Mr. Singer's religion, and Leo Gursky's experiences as a young boy. These details are given throughout the book, and then nothing really happens with them to make them important. For example, Bird building a boat to save Alma from the flood, only for his boat to be destroyed by the local fire department as a safety hazard. These details confused me and took away from the focal points of the novel.
3. Very misleading title
This is not a love story. This became very clear early on, and that is okay because some love novels are overrated anyways. But my question about this fact, is then why all the talk about love? There is so much detail about tragic endings to loving bonds such as the deaths of Alma Mereminski and Mr. Singer. Yet, while I understand how such events and bonds can have aa significant impact on the characters we are getting to know, the ending of the book does nothing with these details in respect to our two living characters. So why spend so much time making this a major part of each character's life, to not conclude on the topic in the ending??
4. All those threads got a bit too tangled
At one point in a previous blog post, I mentioned that the characters were like interwoven threads that although separate lives were operating both individually and together to make the "bigger picture". However, in reflection after finishing the book, I think there are a few missing pieces to that grand scheme of things. Krauss added so many details and created this novel that virtually consisted of entirely character development. But in the end, I feel that she rushed the ending and did not know how to stop considering there was minimal plot and so many threads with so many details that she could not tie them all off in a way that connected them all and gave meaning to them all. If it were not for the way that the last chapter is written, I would have felt as though a whole chapter or so was missing from the end, and that is somewhat disappointing for me.
All in all, I have learned this year that an ending can either make or break a book. In some cases such as Handmaid's Tale, I have felt that the book is too good for the ending to be what it is. However, in other cases such as Song of Solomon, I have believed that the ending is significantly better than the rest of the book and is essentially the only part that I enjoyed. In this case, I feel that the ending broke the book for me. It was a good read that I enjoyed, but not having an end to the characters that fits the emotional connection created between the reader and characters does not provide satisfaction, or give purpose to the characters and their ambitions in the novel; and I feel that the ending of this novel did not go nearly far enough in doing the characters the justice that they deserve.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
A+L
SPOILER: Leo and Alma Singer's "interwoven threads" finally come together to make the "tapestry" at the end of the book. Although I won't tell you what happens after they meet, I will tell you about some of the big take aways that Krauss gives to any reader of her novel.
Of course, I feel it is only appropriate to provide a list of these take aways because we know that this is how Alma Singer would provide them:
1. There are very few things in life that are unbearable.
In this novel, we follow three characters. Leo Gursky is a Jewish man who survived and escaped the Jewish genocides across Europe that occurred during the Holocaust. Not only did he survive this, but he also continued to survive the series of unfortunate events to follow. These include heart problems (literally and figuratively). He survived a heart attack, but he also survived heart break when he lost the love of his life to another man. He also survived the painstakingly tragic experience of outliving your own child, who discovers your existence only to die, leaving blank pages where a father/son bond can never be created.
Alma Singer, a mere fourteen at the end of our story, is also a survivor. She survives the death of her father, an absentee and grief stricken mother's neglect, and the loss of her best friend. If these two can survive, so can you.
2. Words have immeasurable powers.
Upon writing his novel, it is doubtful that Leo Gursky knew that one day, his work would be valuable enough to be stolen, to create a great love, to give a child an identity, and to symbolize a sense of hope. And yet his words were valuable enough to cause all of these things to happen. His friend, Zvi, stole his work and published it as his own. Mr. David Singer gave Leo's words to the love of his life. Together with his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Singer named their daughter "Alma", after Alma Mereminski. Alma Mereminski was Leo's soulmate, and the woman her wrote this book about and for. She was the only character in the book so sacred and passionate the Zvi could not bring himself to change her name, which gave Alma her identity, being named after a symbol of undying love. What could be more romantic than that? Alma Singer, who is faced with many hard times in the book as she struggles to discover her identity for herself, is given hope and purpose because someone (not going to spoil it with a name) asks Alma's mother to translate Leo's beautiful words into another language, sparking Alma's journey to find the woman she was named after, and thus bringing her to Leo.
3. The little things always turn out to be the biggest things.
In the book, Krauss shows us how essential the little things are to survival. Although from the outside, these simple things may seem quite basic and of little value, to us, they are crucial. This is shown in the way that Alma wears her father's sweater, and practices putting up a tent in record time, because it his something he would have done. For her, putting up a tent is how she keeps her father's memory alive. The same is true of Bird who tries to connect with the father he cannot remember through taking his Jewish traditions VERY seriously. Although maybe too seriously in our eyes, to him that is the one piece of his father that he can connect to without needing a memory. And of course there is Leo, who makes his survival on the little things. In order to bear the most unbearable circumstances, he lives for newspaper clippings. These articles of his son and his successes throughout his life, are what give Leo closure. Although complacent in his unseen role in the shadows of Isaac's life, he is truly Isaac's biggest supporter and the happiness that news of Isaac's success as an author brings to Leo is truly heartfelt by the reader.
Kraus develops these lessons subtly throughout the book. She does not come out and say explicitly these ideas, and yet the unspoken words are implied in the way that she develops, not only the characters, but the connection the her readers make with these characters. The ideas that she works with in this book (and these are only three out of many) will always be relevant and current. This book is not about a dystopia, or a social discretion. This book is about emotion and love, and no matter how our world changes and evolves, emotions are instinctive and necessary to human survival. Love, empathy, and emotion will always be felt, making this a book that readers will always be able to draw connections to.
Of course, I feel it is only appropriate to provide a list of these take aways because we know that this is how Alma Singer would provide them:
1. There are very few things in life that are unbearable.
In this novel, we follow three characters. Leo Gursky is a Jewish man who survived and escaped the Jewish genocides across Europe that occurred during the Holocaust. Not only did he survive this, but he also continued to survive the series of unfortunate events to follow. These include heart problems (literally and figuratively). He survived a heart attack, but he also survived heart break when he lost the love of his life to another man. He also survived the painstakingly tragic experience of outliving your own child, who discovers your existence only to die, leaving blank pages where a father/son bond can never be created.
Alma Singer, a mere fourteen at the end of our story, is also a survivor. She survives the death of her father, an absentee and grief stricken mother's neglect, and the loss of her best friend. If these two can survive, so can you.
2. Words have immeasurable powers.
Upon writing his novel, it is doubtful that Leo Gursky knew that one day, his work would be valuable enough to be stolen, to create a great love, to give a child an identity, and to symbolize a sense of hope. And yet his words were valuable enough to cause all of these things to happen. His friend, Zvi, stole his work and published it as his own. Mr. David Singer gave Leo's words to the love of his life. Together with his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Singer named their daughter "Alma", after Alma Mereminski. Alma Mereminski was Leo's soulmate, and the woman her wrote this book about and for. She was the only character in the book so sacred and passionate the Zvi could not bring himself to change her name, which gave Alma her identity, being named after a symbol of undying love. What could be more romantic than that? Alma Singer, who is faced with many hard times in the book as she struggles to discover her identity for herself, is given hope and purpose because someone (not going to spoil it with a name) asks Alma's mother to translate Leo's beautiful words into another language, sparking Alma's journey to find the woman she was named after, and thus bringing her to Leo.
3. The little things always turn out to be the biggest things.
In the book, Krauss shows us how essential the little things are to survival. Although from the outside, these simple things may seem quite basic and of little value, to us, they are crucial. This is shown in the way that Alma wears her father's sweater, and practices putting up a tent in record time, because it his something he would have done. For her, putting up a tent is how she keeps her father's memory alive. The same is true of Bird who tries to connect with the father he cannot remember through taking his Jewish traditions VERY seriously. Although maybe too seriously in our eyes, to him that is the one piece of his father that he can connect to without needing a memory. And of course there is Leo, who makes his survival on the little things. In order to bear the most unbearable circumstances, he lives for newspaper clippings. These articles of his son and his successes throughout his life, are what give Leo closure. Although complacent in his unseen role in the shadows of Isaac's life, he is truly Isaac's biggest supporter and the happiness that news of Isaac's success as an author brings to Leo is truly heartfelt by the reader.
Kraus develops these lessons subtly throughout the book. She does not come out and say explicitly these ideas, and yet the unspoken words are implied in the way that she develops, not only the characters, but the connection the her readers make with these characters. The ideas that she works with in this book (and these are only three out of many) will always be relevant and current. This book is not about a dystopia, or a social discretion. This book is about emotion and love, and no matter how our world changes and evolves, emotions are instinctive and necessary to human survival. Love, empathy, and emotion will always be felt, making this a book that readers will always be able to draw connections to.
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