Enchantment

by Daphne Merkin

Brought up having to vie with her five siblings for the affection of her wealthy Orthodox German-Jewish parents, Hannah Lehmann finds herself caught in a love-hate relationship with her family and intertwining childhood memories with her adult perceptions and experiences

Genres: Fiction

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Ali]

"'My mother,' she says, 'is the source of my unease in the world and thus the only person who can make me feel at home in the world.'"

This is so painstakingly close to being a five-star, but with time it will definitely get there.

I've never seen this book in my life. I found an Instagram account @thelitlist_ and in one of their posts, they showed this book for just a few seconds. Immediately, I connected with the painting on the cover and the font captured me, and I knew I needed this book in my life. I ordered it at Barnes & Noble, and when it came in and I read the back of the book, it only solidified the fact that I needed to read this book as soon as I could.

This is a literary fiction piece that deserves more praise than it gets. Our narrator, Hannah, discusses the life of her fractured family as if no one is listening; as if she is speaking to herself in a mirror. The book mostly focuses on her Jewish heritage, the constant comparison she faces within herself and others to her two sisters, and mostly highlights her complicated relationship with her mother and growing up.

This novel is deeply personal to me and felt like a reflection of my soul. To get personal, I grew up quickly, or at least as quickly as a 12-year-old thought she could. I developed faster and 'bigger' than most girls my age, and instead of being a kid, I craved being an adult. I'd wear crop tops, tight dresses, short skirts, makeup, anything to make me look like I'm not a girl but a woman. Now, at the age of 21, I mourn the childhood I missed out on. I wish I listened to all of the adults in my life when they said "You grow up so fast, you'll be a senior before you know it!" Now, I wear bows in my hair, cover myself up, have stuffed animals lining my bed, and adore the color pink. I wish I could go back and tell myself to just live in the age you are, not the age you want to be.

This book has made me feel and that's what literature should do. Enchantment is the book I've been craving and I'm a bit sad to hear this seems to be her only novel.

To reference fellow reviews, yes this book is sad and angsty, yes this book is full of word-fluff and goes on tangents that could have just been four words, and yes this book is special.

[Arie]

basically an astonishing debut - probably four stars but need to boost the rating because everyone else is soo stupid. a great novel, richly described and direct, like bellow's Herzog but autofiction.

[Cindy]

I would have loved it if I hadn't read her memoir first. The book fictionalized some aspects but overall it followed the same story as her memoir.

[Maia]

Not as good as Dreaming of Hitler. It meanders offroad too much and the tangents aren't always logical or clear, not even as interestng as they're supposed to be. Plus, there's a whiff of uncontrolled, self-indulgent self-pity that should have been edited out a d ut weakens the entire narrative. Ultimately, this is really less a novel and more a psychological excercise to come to terms with a mother dysfunctional enough to have pretty much crilppled ner fr life.

On the other hand, it still held my interest throughout and keeps me firmly in her corner as a fan of her writing. She has a marvellous talent for creating visuals and entite worlds--i can actually 'see' what she writes and 'see' her grow up. I'd read anything by her.

[Emilie]

I kept forcing myself to keep reading this book. Hoping it would get better. It did not. It has interesting moments but too many lulls.

[Reghan Lanning]

An enjoyable read but can’t say I liked it

[Angelina Pires]

The first 100 pages is a 5/5 and after that I’m like

Okay we get it


You were a kid


Thanks .

[Lori]

Awful, Awful, Awful. Not sure why I wasted my time reading this crap, other than the fact that it was 6 kids with an almost absent mother.

[Helenpeluso903msn.com]

Angst. Angst. More Angst.

[Mindy Margola]

A writer extraordinaire.

[Laura]

boring, depressing, and whiny