A novel about a Latvian Jewish families life as emigrants in Italy as they wait for their permanent emigration papers. Very well-written. Characters are well-outlined.
Several threads:
- the feeling of uprootedness that comes with emigration, especially when chased out
- the main character's attempt to break away from the suffocating atmosphere of the family
- the grand-father's cultural conflict as a former believer and apparatchik from the Latvian communist party, now an emigrant to the evil capitalist West
- intergenerational differences in values around money, role of women, etc.
Not an overtly idea-oriented book. Very human.
No comments:
Post a Comment