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Diaspora
In this sweeping and deeply personal novel, Isaiah Margulies explores the Jewish diaspora through the centuries-long journey of the Vostęvskie family. Spanning from their near-mythical roots in a Polish farming village, to the merchant ships and sprawling shanties of port cities across the globe, this epic tale of survival, love, and loss highlights the complexities of identity, assimilation, and the human condition.
With lyrical prose and a nuanced understanding of the Jewish experience, Margulies weaves together historical fiction, a family's saga, and deeper philosophical inquiry. As the Vostęvskies navigate the ravages of world war, forced migration, and unrequited love, they must confront the ultimate question: Can a people thrive when so much has been lost to time?
A poignant and thought-provoking exploration of heritage, belonging, and the search for meaning, this novel will resonate with anyone with a soul to feed.
With lyrical prose and a nuanced understanding of the Jewish experience, Margulies weaves together historical fiction, a family's saga, and deeper philosophical inquiry. As the Vostęvskies navigate the ravages of world war, forced migration, and unrequited love, they must confront the ultimate question: Can a people thrive when so much has been lost to time?
A poignant and thought-provoking exploration of heritage, belonging, and the search for meaning, this novel will resonate with anyone with a soul to feed.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published August 29, 2024
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Isaiah Margulies
1 book2 followersIsaiah Margulies is a merchant seaman by day and writer by night. Much of his writing is technically and spiritually influenced by his time working at sea. The broader Jewish diaspora, and his own small part of it, guided the overarching narrative that became his debut novel, Diaspora.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 21, 2025
Spectacular prose!!
Love the cover.
3-17-2025
"Meshane makom meshane mazal- change your place, change your fortune.
And when that doesn't work, meshane shem meshane mazal- change your name."
There are some books that leave you so captivated that writing a review feels like an impossible task. How can my words capture the emotion and depth that this story invokes? As a person who’s passionate about what I’ve just read, I find myself struggling to do justice to this book. But I bit the bullet so to speak as I am compelled to share my thoughts on "Diaspora" by debut author Isaiah Margulies. This book is anything but what you might expect.
At first glance, I thought I was about to jump into another sprawling multi-generational family saga about the diaspora, stretching across decades. I braced myself for a read that would be steeped in facts and figures, maybe even a bit colorless. Omg, I was so wrong. This story is far from a conventional historical recounting. A narrative of sorts, with raw emotion, rich prose, and philosophical thinking that stayed with me after turning the last page.
A family saga steeped in history, yes, but also a deeper, almost spiritual inquiry into survival. As the Vostęvskie family navigates world wars, they are forced to confront one monumental question: Can a people thrive when so much has been lost to time?
And Margulies? He nailed it. Time waits for no one, and neither does the powerful storytelling in this book. What I didn’t expect was the breathtaking prose that transported me, chapter after chapter, into these characters. By the time I reached the third generation of the Vostęvskies, I wasn’t just reading about their lives, I was living them. I felt their joys, and their heartbreaks.
One scene that stayed with me? The story of Chaim, a character who encounters a mysterious bartender in Warsaw, a man with long white hair who insists that Chaim accept a gift of seeds to plant when he returns home. Grapes in Poland? Chaim laughs, saying winter lasts for nine months there. But the bartender who seems to know Chaim’s every failure already knew Chaim will one day create the first kosher vineyard in Poland. Mysticism and fate… It feels so real, yet we know nothing is permanent.
And as the Vostęvskie family is swept from Europe to Argentina, Israel and New York, I found myself questioning destiny and divine will. Can God truly be kind to you more than once? Are our failures punishments, or lessons in disguise? Does history simply repeat itself? This last question I knew before. Yes it does.
As I visited with the family’s generations, I found myself answering these questions using my own set of issues.
What a relief it was how Margulies sidestepped the usual tropes of historical fiction. Yes, there are familiar themes—the tension between assimilation and identity, the struggles of family, loneliness, and survival but they’re presented with a creative spin that makes this book so unique. Magical realism plays a role here, offsetting the deeper, philosophical layers. The balance between the mystical and the real makes this a truly remarkable reading experience.
Would I have any guilt changing my full name in America for the purpose of prospering? Issues such as this create self-doubt due to the pressure of assimilation and the weight of heritage is relatable. It’s as if Margulies tapped into the human experience of grappling with the past. I empathized with other issues such as the young adult female growing up in an observant Jewish family who discovers that her "mother" isn’t Jewish after all. How would I react at this intersection?
And while some might assume a heavy, historical account of war and pogroms, Diaspora doesn’t dive into the violence of the past, it’s more about the emotional ripple effects of the generations before. No family, regardless how strong, is exempt from failure. Should they say "never"; know that is untrue. He captures a truth I know all too well: No matter where you run your past will follow.
To Isaiah Margulies, I say thank you. Thank you for this extraordinary book that wasnt 500 pages long to make an impact. Thank you for creating characters that feel like people we know and love, flawed and real. Remember: History will always find its way back.
Love the cover.
3-17-2025
"Meshane makom meshane mazal- change your place, change your fortune.
And when that doesn't work, meshane shem meshane mazal- change your name."
There are some books that leave you so captivated that writing a review feels like an impossible task. How can my words capture the emotion and depth that this story invokes? As a person who’s passionate about what I’ve just read, I find myself struggling to do justice to this book. But I bit the bullet so to speak as I am compelled to share my thoughts on "Diaspora" by debut author Isaiah Margulies. This book is anything but what you might expect.
At first glance, I thought I was about to jump into another sprawling multi-generational family saga about the diaspora, stretching across decades. I braced myself for a read that would be steeped in facts and figures, maybe even a bit colorless. Omg, I was so wrong. This story is far from a conventional historical recounting. A narrative of sorts, with raw emotion, rich prose, and philosophical thinking that stayed with me after turning the last page.
A family saga steeped in history, yes, but also a deeper, almost spiritual inquiry into survival. As the Vostęvskie family navigates world wars, they are forced to confront one monumental question: Can a people thrive when so much has been lost to time?
And Margulies? He nailed it. Time waits for no one, and neither does the powerful storytelling in this book. What I didn’t expect was the breathtaking prose that transported me, chapter after chapter, into these characters. By the time I reached the third generation of the Vostęvskies, I wasn’t just reading about their lives, I was living them. I felt their joys, and their heartbreaks.
One scene that stayed with me? The story of Chaim, a character who encounters a mysterious bartender in Warsaw, a man with long white hair who insists that Chaim accept a gift of seeds to plant when he returns home. Grapes in Poland? Chaim laughs, saying winter lasts for nine months there. But the bartender who seems to know Chaim’s every failure already knew Chaim will one day create the first kosher vineyard in Poland. Mysticism and fate… It feels so real, yet we know nothing is permanent.
And as the Vostęvskie family is swept from Europe to Argentina, Israel and New York, I found myself questioning destiny and divine will. Can God truly be kind to you more than once? Are our failures punishments, or lessons in disguise? Does history simply repeat itself? This last question I knew before. Yes it does.
As I visited with the family’s generations, I found myself answering these questions using my own set of issues.
What a relief it was how Margulies sidestepped the usual tropes of historical fiction. Yes, there are familiar themes—the tension between assimilation and identity, the struggles of family, loneliness, and survival but they’re presented with a creative spin that makes this book so unique. Magical realism plays a role here, offsetting the deeper, philosophical layers. The balance between the mystical and the real makes this a truly remarkable reading experience.
Would I have any guilt changing my full name in America for the purpose of prospering? Issues such as this create self-doubt due to the pressure of assimilation and the weight of heritage is relatable. It’s as if Margulies tapped into the human experience of grappling with the past. I empathized with other issues such as the young adult female growing up in an observant Jewish family who discovers that her "mother" isn’t Jewish after all. How would I react at this intersection?
And while some might assume a heavy, historical account of war and pogroms, Diaspora doesn’t dive into the violence of the past, it’s more about the emotional ripple effects of the generations before. No family, regardless how strong, is exempt from failure. Should they say "never"; know that is untrue. He captures a truth I know all too well: No matter where you run your past will follow.
To Isaiah Margulies, I say thank you. Thank you for this extraordinary book that wasnt 500 pages long to make an impact. Thank you for creating characters that feel like people we know and love, flawed and real. Remember: History will always find its way back.
March 22, 2025
A beautiful, moving, and poetic journey. Even though it spans multiple generations, each section managed to draw me in quickly with their evocative prose. Looking forward to more from this author.
January 30, 2025
I loved every second I spent reading this book. If you enjoy older Eastern European literature, then you will enjoy this!
May 25, 2025
Different but interesting, the book is a fascinating look at eight generations of a Jewish family and how they were dispersed throughout the world over that time. I just wished I knew the starting date of the story.
February 20, 2025
I got so immersed in this narrative. I couldn't put it down. The author creates characters you can really connect with.
March 22, 2025
A truly profound work of fiction from a début author.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews