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La aldea perdida
¿Y si una aldea perdida en los bosques de Polonia hubiese escapado milagrosamente a los horrores del siglo XX?
Partiendo de esta brillante premisa, Max Gross ha urdido una ficción especulativa en la estela del mejor humor judío, un cruce entre Woody Allen, Michael Chabon y La vida es bella por el que obtuvo el National Jewish Book Awards.
Los habitantes de Kreskol, un shtetl o aldea judía, llevan más de cien años felizmente aislados del mundo: desconocen el Holocausto y la Guerra Fría, e inventos modernos como el automóvil, el smartphone o el saneamiento. Hasta que una disputa matrimonial los obliga a entrar bruscamente en el siglo XXI. Una mañana, tras un amargo divorcio, la joven Pesha Lindauer desaparece sin dejar rastro. Alarmados, los rabinos encargan a Yankel Lewinkopf, el tonto del pueblo, que se aventure al exterior para alertar a las autoridades. En su periplo, Yankel descubre la belleza y el espanto de la vida moderna. Incapaces de creer su relato, los polacos lo toman por loco y lo ingresan en un centro psiquiátrico. Cuando, finalmente, se compruebe que dice la verdad, acaparará la atención de todos los medios. El encuentro entre ambos mundos tendrá consecuencias dramáticas (y a menudo cómicas) para los habitantes del shtetl, que deberán afrontar los oscuros orígenes de su aislamiento y decidir si desean subirse o no al tren de la Historia.
Partiendo de esta brillante premisa, Max Gross ha urdido una ficción especulativa en la estela del mejor humor judío, un cruce entre Woody Allen, Michael Chabon y La vida es bella por el que obtuvo el National Jewish Book Awards.
Los habitantes de Kreskol, un shtetl o aldea judía, llevan más de cien años felizmente aislados del mundo: desconocen el Holocausto y la Guerra Fría, e inventos modernos como el automóvil, el smartphone o el saneamiento. Hasta que una disputa matrimonial los obliga a entrar bruscamente en el siglo XXI. Una mañana, tras un amargo divorcio, la joven Pesha Lindauer desaparece sin dejar rastro. Alarmados, los rabinos encargan a Yankel Lewinkopf, el tonto del pueblo, que se aventure al exterior para alertar a las autoridades. En su periplo, Yankel descubre la belleza y el espanto de la vida moderna. Incapaces de creer su relato, los polacos lo toman por loco y lo ingresan en un centro psiquiátrico. Cuando, finalmente, se compruebe que dice la verdad, acaparará la atención de todos los medios. El encuentro entre ambos mundos tendrá consecuencias dramáticas (y a menudo cómicas) para los habitantes del shtetl, que deberán afrontar los oscuros orígenes de su aislamiento y decidir si desean subirse o no al tren de la Historia.
450 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 587 reviews
September 6, 2020
I'm a descendant of shtetl folk and my childhood was filled with Yiddish-speaking, Old World Jews, so I was primed to like this story. And for the first 100 pages or so, the Fiddler-on-the-Roof-ish, Bashevis Singer-ish gentle, mocking humor was enjoyable - and familiar. (It reminded me that Yiddish has 100 ways to tell a child that they are precious and that they are an idiot and both are said CONSTANTLY. When it works just right, you get Mel Brooks. Other times, you get me.) I also liked the premise, which is broadly predictable but surprisingly fresh in detail. If this book had been a novella, say about 125 pages, it would have been a little Candide-like gem. Stretched out over 400+ pages, even this event-filled plot started to feel tedious. I didn't want to abandon it, so I skimmed over 300+ pages. It was a respectful skimming though - I didn't skip any pages, but I could glean all I needed with just a sentence or two per page.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
January 28, 2021
I wanted to like this book so badly. It’s a genuinely original premise—a Polish shtetl goes off the grid and is rediscovered in the 21st century—with real care taken to get the history and characters right. I actually did some creative non-fiction writing about a Polish shtetl much like the one in this book, so I really respected the creativity and accuracy Gross delivers. I just wish it were way, way shorter. I made it halfway through and just got bored of the book. It’s hard to say what exactly I disliked—it’s more that the things that there were to like grew old, and the plot dominated too much. I wanted to yell: show don’t tell! We get what could be a fascinating book in its own, the story of how Kreskol became the lost shtetl in the first place, summed up with almost no exposition. It’s just “this happened, then this, then this.” The premise and characters were great, the execution not so much.
July 27, 2020
In this novel Max Gross creates a single community of Eastern European Jews who are living their lives in the centuries-old shtetl tradition and who are so isolated that they are unaware of the Holocaust. Gross infuses his story with warmhearted humor, but the story itself is thoughtful and deep. It rests on the premise that, somehow, in a forgotten corner of Europe, shtetl culture has endured intact. Of course it's impossible to imagine that any shtetl survived Nazism and this contradiction infuses even the most gentle anecdote with sadness for what has been lost.
Gross's literary language is likewise infused with Yiddish rhythms and Yiddish words, and in this way he honors a nearly-lost literary tradition. The novel is like a tiny, fragile hope against a dark dark time of history, that a culture and a people will endure...and this book, the existence of this story, proves that it has. The publisher description compares Gross with Chabon and Shteyngart but I was reminded of the more lighthearted titles of Isaac Bashevis Singer.
Gross's literary language is likewise infused with Yiddish rhythms and Yiddish words, and in this way he honors a nearly-lost literary tradition. The novel is like a tiny, fragile hope against a dark dark time of history, that a culture and a people will endure...and this book, the existence of this story, proves that it has. The publisher description compares Gross with Chabon and Shteyngart but I was reminded of the more lighthearted titles of Isaac Bashevis Singer.
July 20, 2022
I read and watch lots of book reviews and discussions. It's hard to tell from that which ones are really going to grab me.
This one did.
The premise of the book is that a shtetl (small Jewish town in the Pale of Settlement) was so deep in the forests of Poland that the Nazis didn't find it. The town survives as a microcosm of Eastern European Jewish life.
...Until the near-present, that is.
It's not the plot so much, and it's not the characterization so much. It's the realism with which this "what if" occurs.
A lesson in economics, for instance.
The way people react.
The way institutions react.
Doctors in a hospital setting where an until-recent inhabitant of the shtetl shows up, for example.
The book grabbed me and pulled me through its nearly 400 pages at a good clip (despite the plot's trajectory).
The Lost Shtetl won the National Jewish Book Awards Book Club award for 2020 -- richly deserved.
I award it 4 1/2 stars
This one did.
The premise of the book is that a shtetl (small Jewish town in the Pale of Settlement) was so deep in the forests of Poland that the Nazis didn't find it. The town survives as a microcosm of Eastern European Jewish life.
...Until the near-present, that is.
It's not the plot so much, and it's not the characterization so much. It's the realism with which this "what if" occurs.
A lesson in economics, for instance.
The way people react.
The way institutions react.
Doctors in a hospital setting where an until-recent inhabitant of the shtetl shows up, for example.
The book grabbed me and pulled me through its nearly 400 pages at a good clip (despite the plot's trajectory).
The Lost Shtetl won the National Jewish Book Awards Book Club award for 2020 -- richly deserved.
I award it 4 1/2 stars
July 5, 2021
I flew through THE LOST SHTETL in two days, which is my favorite kind of reading experience – when you’re walking around the house about to trip on something because you NEED to keep reading.
This inventive debut novel poses the question: what if there was a Jewish village in Poland that survived the Holocaust and the Cold War, in complete seclusion without the trappings of modern convenience and innovation?
Welcome to Kreskol. Its residents live in relative seclusion until one day, a nasty divorce and two runaway ex-spouses prompt the village to send Yankel Lewinkopf into the forest and beyond. What results is Kreskol’s exposure and re-discovery.
This humorous, complex book is a story of Jewish resilience despite rumor, media conjecture, and mutual incomprehensibility (between Kreskolites and the Polish, and among the Kreskolites) of how to live. Woven into the several characters’ perspectives and journeys, we get a peek at how assimilation, anti-Semitism, and inflation might play out. What is the first institution we would build or establish in a previously-unknown town? How might we explain the unfathomable horror of the Holocaust to a Jewish community who never heard of it? It also looks at how we grapple with multiculturalism and assimilation as it relates to ethnicity and religion.
This book features a lot of footnotes, offering context for Jewish, Yiddish, and Polish terminology that come up throughout the plot. While I’m by no means versed in Yiddish or Hebrew, I found some of the footnotes a bit unnecessary (“schmaltz,” “bubbe,” “yenta,” and “challah” were some) especially since there’s a glossary of terms at the end.
The reviews for THE LOST SHTETL have been uneven, and the ending seems to be hit or miss. For me it was a hit!
⚠️ Content warnings: anti-Semitism, sex work
This inventive debut novel poses the question: what if there was a Jewish village in Poland that survived the Holocaust and the Cold War, in complete seclusion without the trappings of modern convenience and innovation?
Welcome to Kreskol. Its residents live in relative seclusion until one day, a nasty divorce and two runaway ex-spouses prompt the village to send Yankel Lewinkopf into the forest and beyond. What results is Kreskol’s exposure and re-discovery.
This humorous, complex book is a story of Jewish resilience despite rumor, media conjecture, and mutual incomprehensibility (between Kreskolites and the Polish, and among the Kreskolites) of how to live. Woven into the several characters’ perspectives and journeys, we get a peek at how assimilation, anti-Semitism, and inflation might play out. What is the first institution we would build or establish in a previously-unknown town? How might we explain the unfathomable horror of the Holocaust to a Jewish community who never heard of it? It also looks at how we grapple with multiculturalism and assimilation as it relates to ethnicity and religion.
This book features a lot of footnotes, offering context for Jewish, Yiddish, and Polish terminology that come up throughout the plot. While I’m by no means versed in Yiddish or Hebrew, I found some of the footnotes a bit unnecessary (“schmaltz,” “bubbe,” “yenta,” and “challah” were some) especially since there’s a glossary of terms at the end.
The reviews for THE LOST SHTETL have been uneven, and the ending seems to be hit or miss. For me it was a hit!
⚠️ Content warnings: anti-Semitism, sex work
January 23, 2024
"The Lost Shtetl" has an imaginative premise. There is a village of Orthodox Jews living in a shtetl deep in the woods in Poland. They are cut off from all other Polish cities and towns. Only the Gypsies pass through and barter with them, every 6 months or so. The time frame is 2020, but the townspeople live as if it is 1890. There is no electricity, modern plumbing, cars, modern medicine etc. They speak Yiddish and do not know any Polish. They have no knowledge of World Wars, the Holocaust, or anything newsworthy that has happened in the past 100 years.
The book opens with a young and unhappy married couple in the village, where the wife (Pesha) wants a divorce. Her husband (Ishmael) does not want to grant her a divorce. Pesha soon runs away from the village with her vengeful husband hot in pursuit. The Rabbi fears that Ishmael might kill her and wants to alert the Polish police. So, the Rabbi appoints a young man, Yankel, to this task. Yankel is good natured, but has long been treated as a black sheep by everyone, as his mother was a prostitute and his father is unknown (considered a disgrace).
As it turns out, the Gypsies take Yankel with them to Smolskie, the Polish city on the other side of the forest. He immediately goes to the police there, who don't take his query about Pesha and Ishmael seriously.
The plot unspools from there. Yankel discovers what the modern day world is like. Everything is new and amazing to him, even small things like coffee. He is soon drinking six cups a day with heaps of sugar - he thinks it's so delicious. A fun part of the book features Yankel being placed in a psychiatric hospital. The doctors there believe that he is delusional, as Yanke keeps insisting that he's from the shtetl (which no one has ever heard of).
About halfway through the book, it began to drag for me. The middle section of the novel is about the Polish authorities discovering that the shtetl does exist. They feel obligated to upgrade it to be a modern, functioning city of the 21st century. Half of the village fight against this. Also, the Polish authorities don't really like Jews. Anti-Semitism erupts. There is a darker feel to this part of the story.
The author does catch up to what has happened to Pesha and Ishmael and does not leave Yankel in the psychiatric hospital. Their outcomes have interesting twists and turns, but ultimately, not satisfying endings.
I found the book to be creative and partly fun, but also too long and bleak in sections.
The book opens with a young and unhappy married couple in the village, where the wife (Pesha) wants a divorce. Her husband (Ishmael) does not want to grant her a divorce. Pesha soon runs away from the village with her vengeful husband hot in pursuit. The Rabbi fears that Ishmael might kill her and wants to alert the Polish police. So, the Rabbi appoints a young man, Yankel, to this task. Yankel is good natured, but has long been treated as a black sheep by everyone, as his mother was a prostitute and his father is unknown (considered a disgrace).
As it turns out, the Gypsies take Yankel with them to Smolskie, the Polish city on the other side of the forest. He immediately goes to the police there, who don't take his query about Pesha and Ishmael seriously.
The plot unspools from there. Yankel discovers what the modern day world is like. Everything is new and amazing to him, even small things like coffee. He is soon drinking six cups a day with heaps of sugar - he thinks it's so delicious. A fun part of the book features Yankel being placed in a psychiatric hospital. The doctors there believe that he is delusional, as Yanke keeps insisting that he's from the shtetl (which no one has ever heard of).
About halfway through the book, it began to drag for me. The middle section of the novel is about the Polish authorities discovering that the shtetl does exist. They feel obligated to upgrade it to be a modern, functioning city of the 21st century. Half of the village fight against this. Also, the Polish authorities don't really like Jews. Anti-Semitism erupts. There is a darker feel to this part of the story.
The author does catch up to what has happened to Pesha and Ishmael and does not leave Yankel in the psychiatric hospital. Their outcomes have interesting twists and turns, but ultimately, not satisfying endings.
I found the book to be creative and partly fun, but also too long and bleak in sections.
October 18, 2023
This is such an original book, with more depth than a reader might expect.
It starts out with a what seems a charming and fascinating premise: What if there was a small Jewish shtetl deep in a Polish forest that had somehow remained unknown to the outside world for decades-- that had never heard of the Holocaust or computers or even TV, that was still living the Yiddish-speaking lifestyle of the nineteenth century, even more isolated than modern-day Hasidic communities in New York and Israel? And then what if this little town was discovered by the
Polish authorities?
(The beginning lingered a bit too long on the "Fiddler on the Roof" charm for my taste.)
From there, author Max Gross spins a page-turning story that constantly takes unexpected twists.
But more important, the book goes beyond its charming setup.
The little town of Kreskol is not a Disneyland village that will close up at sundown, nor a Brigadoon that hangs around for just 24 hours before disappearing for another 100 years. Kreskol's residents are flesh-and-blood people, with lives that must continue somehow. They must decide whether to learn the Polish language, continue their traditional lifestyle, welcome free-spending tourists, exchange their old currency for new -- and each of those decisions has major implications. Always lurking in the background, moreover, is centuries-old Polish anti-Semitism.
This book raises a lot of what-if questions. Not all of them are "merely" of historical interest or charming.
It starts out with a what seems a charming and fascinating premise: What if there was a small Jewish shtetl deep in a Polish forest that had somehow remained unknown to the outside world for decades-- that had never heard of the Holocaust or computers or even TV, that was still living the Yiddish-speaking lifestyle of the nineteenth century, even more isolated than modern-day Hasidic communities in New York and Israel? And then what if this little town was discovered by the
Polish authorities?
(The beginning lingered a bit too long on the "Fiddler on the Roof" charm for my taste.)
From there, author Max Gross spins a page-turning story that constantly takes unexpected twists.
But more important, the book goes beyond its charming setup.
The little town of Kreskol is not a Disneyland village that will close up at sundown, nor a Brigadoon that hangs around for just 24 hours before disappearing for another 100 years. Kreskol's residents are flesh-and-blood people, with lives that must continue somehow. They must decide whether to learn the Polish language, continue their traditional lifestyle, welcome free-spending tourists, exchange their old currency for new -- and each of those decisions has major implications. Always lurking in the background, moreover, is centuries-old Polish anti-Semitism.
This book raises a lot of what-if questions. Not all of them are "merely" of historical interest or charming.
January 16, 2021
The first third of this book is excellent. The premise is amusing and it's entertainingly written. Yankel's reaction to the modern world beyond the isolated village where he lives is beautifully described and very convincing. But the book runs out of steam - and humour - as the village itself is forced into the present and the eventual discovery of the two characters whose initial disappearance sparks off the plot involves tedious side plots and more suspension of disbelief than this reader was prepared to grant the author.
January 24, 2021
Engaging fictional story about a long-hidden Jewish community tucked in the dense forests of Poland. Shadowy circumstances spark the discovery of the insulated hamlet, sending out shock waves in both directions. The two worlds clash in complicated and unpredictable ways, all of which reveal the true natures of all involved. The story demonstrates that the more differences there are, the more alike we turn out to be, both for better and for worse.
February 2, 2021
My overall impression of this book is: interesting concept and themes, but not enough momentum to keep the story moving.
Thoughts:
-The strongest and most compelling part, imo, was the storyline about Spektor. Him trying to grapple with his trauma and the way he sees this community as a second chance (doesn't feel like the right phrase but I'll stick with it) is really compelling. The moment when Katznelson and Sokolow overhear Spektor recounting his memories of the Shoah and the moment when Spektor rips up the road were both two of the best parts of the book, imo.
-The novel focuses mostly on Yankel, who I wasn't that invested in. I was much more interested in Sokolow and Katznelson. I also wasn't that invested in Yankel and Pesha's love story
-Felt like it dragged / went on too long, didn't have a lot of momentum to push the story forward. I felt like stopping around pg 240 but kept going anyway
-Interesting concept and delved into some themes very well, but again not a lot of momentum to keep the story moving
-I liked how Kreskol wasn't a paradise or a utopia, but was still messy, with community in-fighting. I've heard critiques of "Fiddler on the Roof" as making Anatevka too perfect, so I thought Gross did a good job creating a community that felt real. This also deepens Yankel and Pesha's conflict of both missing Kreskol while knowing they don't want to return.
-I feel like the ending exemplifies that last thought - Yankel tries to go back, finds he can't (but tries anyway), realizes Pesha isn't there anyway so turns around, and after assimilating for about 2 years, returns to religious ritual to try and sustain/save him.
Themes:
-truth and belief (Kreskol struggling to understand the Shoah, Polish politicians/tabloids thinking Kreskol is a hoax)
-what is lost by history
-how do we teach / think about the past (especially atrocities)
-the struggle to represent/grasp the Shoah (both on a meta level and within the text)
-language (not being able to find books in Yiddish because there is no readership anymore [because of the Shoah], Pesha learning Polish because language is power)
-assimilation and modernization vs. tradition, culture, community
-the symbol of the forest within the text - both as a force of isolation (keeping modernity/technology/news out), a protector against the Shoah, and an unforgivable landscape that one must cross. Interesting how when the community's opinion of Ishmael softens towards the end of the book, they also see the forest as less threatening (and therefore he could have survived it).
Thoughts:
-The strongest and most compelling part, imo, was the storyline about Spektor. Him trying to grapple with his trauma and the way he sees this community as a second chance (doesn't feel like the right phrase but I'll stick with it) is really compelling. The moment when Katznelson and Sokolow overhear Spektor recounting his memories of the Shoah and the moment when Spektor rips up the road were both two of the best parts of the book, imo.
-The novel focuses mostly on Yankel, who I wasn't that invested in. I was much more interested in Sokolow and Katznelson. I also wasn't that invested in Yankel and Pesha's love story
-Felt like it dragged / went on too long, didn't have a lot of momentum to push the story forward. I felt like stopping around pg 240 but kept going anyway
-Interesting concept and delved into some themes very well, but again not a lot of momentum to keep the story moving
-I liked how Kreskol wasn't a paradise or a utopia, but was still messy, with community in-fighting. I've heard critiques of "Fiddler on the Roof" as making Anatevka too perfect, so I thought Gross did a good job creating a community that felt real. This also deepens Yankel and Pesha's conflict of both missing Kreskol while knowing they don't want to return.
-I feel like the ending exemplifies that last thought - Yankel tries to go back, finds he can't (but tries anyway), realizes Pesha isn't there anyway so turns around, and after assimilating for about 2 years, returns to religious ritual to try and sustain/save him.
Themes:
-truth and belief (Kreskol struggling to understand the Shoah, Polish politicians/tabloids thinking Kreskol is a hoax)
-what is lost by history
-how do we teach / think about the past (especially atrocities)
-the struggle to represent/grasp the Shoah (both on a meta level and within the text)
-language (not being able to find books in Yiddish because there is no readership anymore [because of the Shoah], Pesha learning Polish because language is power)
-assimilation and modernization vs. tradition, culture, community
-the symbol of the forest within the text - both as a force of isolation (keeping modernity/technology/news out), a protector against the Shoah, and an unforgivable landscape that one must cross. Interesting how when the community's opinion of Ishmael softens towards the end of the book, they also see the forest as less threatening (and therefore he could have survived it).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2022
És possible que una comunitat jueva ortodoxa aconseguís esquivar el nazisme i l'holocaust enmig de Polònia? Kreskol ho va fer. De fet, ni se'n van assabentar. Els seus habitants fa moltes dècades que viuen aïllats i no van conèixer aquells horrors, però tampoc els avenços tecnològics, ni saben què és viure al segle XXI. Estan ancorats al passat.
Quan una convilatana fuig després d'una ruptura dolorosa, els rabins envien el jove Yankel Lewinkopf a avisar les autoritats poloneses per trobar-la. Aquest esdeveniment fortuït descobrirà la vila a ulls del món. El xoc temporal i de cultures ho capgirarà tot.
'La vila perduda' és un llibre amb molts fronts que explota dos blocs temàtics, diferents però barrejats. Per una banda, la història de ficció dels protagonistes que s'enfronten a un món desconegut per ells. Per l'altra, el procés de civilització de Kreskol, el progrés els arriba de cop i viuran, en temps rècord, l'evolució i decadència de qualsevol societat humana. Aquesta part, que també els enfronta amb els esdeveniments històrics que s'han perdut, de vegades pren forma d'assaig, però conserva l'escriptura agradable i àgil que impregna tot el llibre.
L'obra, la primera de l'autor, té més de 500 pàgines, però es llegeix a molt bon ritme, tant perquè aconsegueix interessar-nos amb les desventures d'en Yankel i de Kreskol, com perquè Max Gross narra de manera molt planera, atractiva, amb tocs d'humor i sap generar-nos tendresa i empatia. És un text especulatiu, un divertiment, no pretén mantenir un gran rigor històric, però ens aporta totes les respostes que ens calen. Penso que pot agradar a un ventall ampli de lectors. A mi m'ha resultat molt absorbent, m'han encantat tant el plantejament com l'execució i tots els girs que va prenent la trama.
(SERGI)
Quan una convilatana fuig després d'una ruptura dolorosa, els rabins envien el jove Yankel Lewinkopf a avisar les autoritats poloneses per trobar-la. Aquest esdeveniment fortuït descobrirà la vila a ulls del món. El xoc temporal i de cultures ho capgirarà tot.
'La vila perduda' és un llibre amb molts fronts que explota dos blocs temàtics, diferents però barrejats. Per una banda, la història de ficció dels protagonistes que s'enfronten a un món desconegut per ells. Per l'altra, el procés de civilització de Kreskol, el progrés els arriba de cop i viuran, en temps rècord, l'evolució i decadència de qualsevol societat humana. Aquesta part, que també els enfronta amb els esdeveniments històrics que s'han perdut, de vegades pren forma d'assaig, però conserva l'escriptura agradable i àgil que impregna tot el llibre.
L'obra, la primera de l'autor, té més de 500 pàgines, però es llegeix a molt bon ritme, tant perquè aconsegueix interessar-nos amb les desventures d'en Yankel i de Kreskol, com perquè Max Gross narra de manera molt planera, atractiva, amb tocs d'humor i sap generar-nos tendresa i empatia. És un text especulatiu, un divertiment, no pretén mantenir un gran rigor històric, però ens aporta totes les respostes que ens calen. Penso que pot agradar a un ventall ampli de lectors. A mi m'ha resultat molt absorbent, m'han encantat tant el plantejament com l'execució i tots els girs que va prenent la trama.
(SERGI)
March 31, 2022
I stopped reading ... it's a potentially interesting concept, but neither the plot and nor the characters grabbed my attention
October 11, 2020
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
4.5 stars, rounded to 5
When I saw the blurb of The Lost Shtetl, I was immediately drawn in. It sounded like an absurdly ridiculous, yet mesmerizing concept – a Jewish town in the Polish woods so remote it gets overlooked for more than a hundred years, so much so that it is even missed by the Holocaust. The people living there go around their daily lives happily and quite boringly until one day something happens that calls for the summoning of the gentile authorities, and one of their men is sent out to look for them. What he finds… Is the 21st century.
WILD, right? I immediately craved reading it!! How is this going to be put together? What’s going to happen? What a wild idea altogether!!! Imagine a man in 19th century garb and a mule with bags walking into a present day city! Wow!
And I was so lucky to be granted a review copy. I started reading immediately and I didn’t want to put down The Lost Shtetl even for a minute. It drew me in so much I kept glancing at the clock and wondering whether I’d have to stay up that night.
And I definitely did.
There is just too much to sum up when talking about this book – it covers a lot. From the traditions and simple life the isolated villagers were living, to the way modern life affects them – economically, emotionally, culturally and otherwise – it was all very interesting. But apart from that, there’s the emotional and moral side of the pitfalls of history, on cultures intersecting, or rather, colliding – and on whole societies dealing with prejudice, war and calamity.
Because of all this, I thought The Lost Shtetl was a spectacular book. I can certainly recommend it, and it will remain one of the most unique books I’ve read this year. Here are my complete thoughts about it:
https://avalinahsbooks.space/lost-sht...
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
4.5 stars, rounded to 5
When I saw the blurb of The Lost Shtetl, I was immediately drawn in. It sounded like an absurdly ridiculous, yet mesmerizing concept – a Jewish town in the Polish woods so remote it gets overlooked for more than a hundred years, so much so that it is even missed by the Holocaust. The people living there go around their daily lives happily and quite boringly until one day something happens that calls for the summoning of the gentile authorities, and one of their men is sent out to look for them. What he finds… Is the 21st century.
WILD, right? I immediately craved reading it!! How is this going to be put together? What’s going to happen? What a wild idea altogether!!! Imagine a man in 19th century garb and a mule with bags walking into a present day city! Wow!
And I was so lucky to be granted a review copy. I started reading immediately and I didn’t want to put down The Lost Shtetl even for a minute. It drew me in so much I kept glancing at the clock and wondering whether I’d have to stay up that night.
And I definitely did.
There is just too much to sum up when talking about this book – it covers a lot. From the traditions and simple life the isolated villagers were living, to the way modern life affects them – economically, emotionally, culturally and otherwise – it was all very interesting. But apart from that, there’s the emotional and moral side of the pitfalls of history, on cultures intersecting, or rather, colliding – and on whole societies dealing with prejudice, war and calamity.
Because of all this, I thought The Lost Shtetl was a spectacular book. I can certainly recommend it, and it will remain one of the most unique books I’ve read this year. Here are my complete thoughts about it:
https://avalinahsbooks.space/lost-sht...
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
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May 5, 2023
Extremely clever and creative. Loved the twist, it was totally unexpected. Ending was also unexpected. Looking forward to this authors next piece.
November 28, 2020
There is a great review by @Nadine here on Goodreads that sums up my feelings about this book well. Like her, I felt the first 100 pages wonderful to read, but since this book stretches out to over 400 pages, interest wanes as we near the half-way point. I didn't feel the story was moving outside of the circular pattern, spinning the same story over and over again. I love a good and chunky book, but many times lately I don't feel these books can carry that page count well. The Lost Shtetl is one of those books.
Like Nadine, I got about half-way through and skimmed - the message would have indeed been stronger and more impactful had this book ended around a 250 or less page count. (Nadine claims as a novella it would have worked wonders for her.)
Anyway, it was good, but once again, just a good read, not a great one. I am desperately seeking a great one!
Like Nadine, I got about half-way through and skimmed - the message would have indeed been stronger and more impactful had this book ended around a 250 or less page count. (Nadine claims as a novella it would have worked wonders for her.)
Anyway, it was good, but once again, just a good read, not a great one. I am desperately seeking a great one!
Read
April 17, 2021What an intriguing story. A shtetl in Poland is "lost" to the world. It's self-isolated, so it's still living in a pre-WWII world (actually even earlier). A completely self-contained world, until a young man, Yankel, is sent out to find a woman who ran away. He discovers the modern world, with all its shocking new technologies. The novel is about the re-discovery of the town and how it affects the inhabitants and also about Yankel making his way in the outside world. The middle dragged a tiny bit, but overall the story was really engaging. All the Yiddish and Polish words used are footnoted, so it's easy to follow. The ending, I thought, was especially poignant. I'm still thinking about the novel.
January 2, 2021
The concept of this was intriguing. The first few chapters were compelling, but then as the story dragged on things fell apart. At the end I was left wondering, what was the point of all of that?
September 13, 2020
I received a free advance digital review copy.
In the 1970s, I became fascinated by the novels and stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer. Singer came to the US from Poland shortly before World War II, and wrote—in Yiddish—about the world of the shtetl in Poland. (I read Singer’s works in English translation.) When Singer left Poland, 10% of Poland’s population were Jews. But three million Polish Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. The shtetls of Singer’s books were lost.
Max Gross imagines that there was a shtetl that not only escaped the Holocaust, but also the ravages of continued Polish antisemitism after the war. Everything about the modern world passed Kreskol by, and the people live as if they were in one of Singer’s books. That is, until Pesha and Ishmael Lindauer’s marriage explodes spectacularly, they end up separately leaving town, and Yankel Lewinkopf is sent to the nearest town to report the disappearance (and possible murder?) to the police.
Once Yankel reaches the outside world for the first time, things spin out of control, both for him and Kreskol, which is finally discovered. What a culture clash! Just imagine what it would be like to suddenly experience modernity when your life has been straight out of Fiddler on the Roof. Imagine your reaction if you’d never seen a car, plane, electricity, television, telephones, advertising, revealing clothing, indoor plumbing, even deodorant and toothpaste. We see it all from the viewpoint of Yankel and other Kreskolites while, at the same time, we see the outside world’s reaction to the discovery of such a community.
Max Gross’s unnamed narrator is a resident of Kreskol, who also knows quite a bit of its history. He knows about the pogroms of the past and the antipathy of their Christian neighbors that led to Kreskol’s isolation and their voluntarily cutting themselves off completely from the outside world. He also knows about the residents of Kreskol. Like Isaac Bashevis Singer, he doesn’t idealize the shtetl life. He knows the townspeople’s foibles.
The story is dryly funny at times, but at other times heartbreakingly and acutely observant about antisemitism, past and present. Despite Poland’s Jewish population having been all but obliterated, antisemitism lives on. It even thrives in today’s era of nationalism and conspiracy theories.
In the 1970s, I became fascinated by the novels and stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer. Singer came to the US from Poland shortly before World War II, and wrote—in Yiddish—about the world of the shtetl in Poland. (I read Singer’s works in English translation.) When Singer left Poland, 10% of Poland’s population were Jews. But three million Polish Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. The shtetls of Singer’s books were lost.
Max Gross imagines that there was a shtetl that not only escaped the Holocaust, but also the ravages of continued Polish antisemitism after the war. Everything about the modern world passed Kreskol by, and the people live as if they were in one of Singer’s books. That is, until Pesha and Ishmael Lindauer’s marriage explodes spectacularly, they end up separately leaving town, and Yankel Lewinkopf is sent to the nearest town to report the disappearance (and possible murder?) to the police.
Once Yankel reaches the outside world for the first time, things spin out of control, both for him and Kreskol, which is finally discovered. What a culture clash! Just imagine what it would be like to suddenly experience modernity when your life has been straight out of Fiddler on the Roof. Imagine your reaction if you’d never seen a car, plane, electricity, television, telephones, advertising, revealing clothing, indoor plumbing, even deodorant and toothpaste. We see it all from the viewpoint of Yankel and other Kreskolites while, at the same time, we see the outside world’s reaction to the discovery of such a community.
Max Gross’s unnamed narrator is a resident of Kreskol, who also knows quite a bit of its history. He knows about the pogroms of the past and the antipathy of their Christian neighbors that led to Kreskol’s isolation and their voluntarily cutting themselves off completely from the outside world. He also knows about the residents of Kreskol. Like Isaac Bashevis Singer, he doesn’t idealize the shtetl life. He knows the townspeople’s foibles.
The story is dryly funny at times, but at other times heartbreakingly and acutely observant about antisemitism, past and present. Despite Poland’s Jewish population having been all but obliterated, antisemitism lives on. It even thrives in today’s era of nationalism and conspiracy theories.
May 17, 2020
What starts off as a shaggy-dog story—a shtetl in the Polish woods has been cut off from the rest of the world since the 19th century—ends up as... an indictment of 21st-century life? of change? of unwillingness to change? Maybe all of the above. It definitely ends up being much sadder and more moving than the setup and the sunny narrative tone led me to expect. The author does a great job establishing this scenario, explaining how this outlandish premise could conceivably have occurred and then exploring the inevitable (and maybe not so inevitable) changes to the shtetl and its residents. The narrative veers among several storylines in a way that adds to the sense of life being off-kilter. I must admit I wasn't crazy about the ending, but it was definitely a bold choice. All in all, an engaging, transporting, and at times wistful read.
Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 14, 2020
This book hits my sweet spot: it’s quiet but riveting, it takes a truly fascinating what-if premise and plays it out in ways I would not have guessed, and it tells the story from multiple angles and flashbacks in a way that feels perfectly paced, not jarring. And! EXCELLENT sense of place.
November 21, 2020
Great book! Clever concept, interesting characters, compelling story and a terrific ending.
September 25, 2025
I couldn't stop laughing. This novel is so funny yet also super ironic and chilling because it shows how awful people can be and they don't even realize it. Or maybe they do. The premise is pretty straightforward: a Jewish village or shtetl in Poland was spared the Holocaust and all that came after it until a couple fled after getting divorced and a wayward youth was sent to another town to find them. Everything unravels after then.
July 30, 2022
** 3.5 stars **
Imagine a remote village deep in a Polish forest that is pretty much cut off from and forgotten about by the outside world. This village, called Kreskol, is entirely populated by Orthodox Jews living as if it's the 19th century. Finally, an incident occurs in the village that is serious enough to merit sending someone to the closest neighboring town in order to involve the police (since Kreskol has no police force of its own), and when that emissary, Yankel, returns several months later we learn that it is actually the 21st century, and somehow the villagers of Kreskol have missed the entirety of the 20th century, including WWII and the Holocaust.
Part of me feels like this novel is a clever fable about modern Judaism feeling caught between 21st century culture/innovations/advances and the tradition and values that are our inheritance from previous generations. The other part of me thinks that if I just look at the novel as a story on its own merits, then it feels kind of meandering and aimless. To me, there is too much explanation about Yankel's experience in the neighboring town, about the history of Kreskol and how it was cut off from the outside world in the first place, and finally, too much focus on a potential love story between Yankel and another character. The most interesting part of the story to me was the ramifications of Kreskol finally making contact with the outside world and how it divided the residents of the shtetl. I would have liked the novel more overall if that had been its primary focus instead of on Yankel as the hero of the story.
Despite these criticisms, I would still recommend the novel overall. I did enjoy it, and I think it has lessons to offer about embracing progress vs. refusal to change or adapt that are resonant in today's world. If nothing else, you'll learn a good bit about European Jewry and contemporary Poland.
Imagine a remote village deep in a Polish forest that is pretty much cut off from and forgotten about by the outside world. This village, called Kreskol, is entirely populated by Orthodox Jews living as if it's the 19th century. Finally, an incident occurs in the village that is serious enough to merit sending someone to the closest neighboring town in order to involve the police (since Kreskol has no police force of its own), and when that emissary, Yankel, returns several months later we learn that it is actually the 21st century, and somehow the villagers of Kreskol have missed the entirety of the 20th century, including WWII and the Holocaust.
Part of me feels like this novel is a clever fable about modern Judaism feeling caught between 21st century culture/innovations/advances and the tradition and values that are our inheritance from previous generations. The other part of me thinks that if I just look at the novel as a story on its own merits, then it feels kind of meandering and aimless. To me, there is too much explanation about Yankel's experience in the neighboring town, about the history of Kreskol and how it was cut off from the outside world in the first place, and finally, too much focus on a potential love story between Yankel and another character. The most interesting part of the story to me was the ramifications of Kreskol finally making contact with the outside world and how it divided the residents of the shtetl. I would have liked the novel more overall if that had been its primary focus instead of on Yankel as the hero of the story.
Despite these criticisms, I would still recommend the novel overall. I did enjoy it, and I think it has lessons to offer about embracing progress vs. refusal to change or adapt that are resonant in today's world. If nothing else, you'll learn a good bit about European Jewry and contemporary Poland.
February 23, 2021
This is the Jewish Book Council 2020 National Book Awards Winner and it could have been a terrific book. It has an interesting plot, characters, some fantasy, and good writing. The execution is all wrong. It is too long, confusing chronology, meandering tangents, and we don’t even know who is the narrator.
Kreskol, is an isolated Jewish shtetl of several thousand Yiddish speaking residents in Poland which has been totally isolated since around 1900 and was thus “overlooked” by the Nazi Germans in their annihilation of the Jews in Poland. They have no knowledge of any outside events or technology, living a 1900 life and Poland knows nothing about it.
In today’s time, Yankel Lewinkopf is sent out by the village to find the two missing respondents in a bitter divorce, Pesha and Ishmael. When he finally reaches civilization, not knowing any Polish, he tries to convince some doctors that he in fact comes from Kreskol, which Polish authorities have no record of its existence. He is befriended and moves in with Karol who convinces him to lose his virginity at a brothel where he meets Pesha, who is now a prostitute and can’t get away. They fall in love and a good portion of the book is concerned with their efforts to get together.
The village gets rediscovered by the outside world and with the attendant publicity it is beset with all sorts of modernity, tourism, government largesse, all with predictable results. After a while, a number of prominent historians decide the story is a hoax and outsiders pull back.
It is particularly regretful to read at the end of their books authors thanking editors. I wouldn’t in this case.
Kreskol, is an isolated Jewish shtetl of several thousand Yiddish speaking residents in Poland which has been totally isolated since around 1900 and was thus “overlooked” by the Nazi Germans in their annihilation of the Jews in Poland. They have no knowledge of any outside events or technology, living a 1900 life and Poland knows nothing about it.
In today’s time, Yankel Lewinkopf is sent out by the village to find the two missing respondents in a bitter divorce, Pesha and Ishmael. When he finally reaches civilization, not knowing any Polish, he tries to convince some doctors that he in fact comes from Kreskol, which Polish authorities have no record of its existence. He is befriended and moves in with Karol who convinces him to lose his virginity at a brothel where he meets Pesha, who is now a prostitute and can’t get away. They fall in love and a good portion of the book is concerned with their efforts to get together.
The village gets rediscovered by the outside world and with the attendant publicity it is beset with all sorts of modernity, tourism, government largesse, all with predictable results. After a while, a number of prominent historians decide the story is a hoax and outsiders pull back.
It is particularly regretful to read at the end of their books authors thanking editors. I wouldn’t in this case.
June 8, 2022
3,5 ⭐️ Non avevo mai sentito parlare di questo libro, è stata la copertina ad attirare la mia attenzione. Dopo aver letto la trama ho deciso di avventurarmi in queste pagine che, per quanto mi riguarda, han soddisfatto le aspettative. Ho apprezzato particolarmente l’originalità della trama e la scrittura scorrevole. Mi son soprattutto affezionata al personaggio di Yankel, così innocuo e gentile, ignaro e distante dalla meschinità e cattiveria della gente.
Un libro che ti invoglia a proseguire per sapere se i protagonisti e lo Shtetl stesso (ri)troveranno mai un po’ di pace. Capisco che non si possa parlare di lieto fine, ma a me è sembrata una perfetta conclusione.
Un libro che ti invoglia a proseguire per sapere se i protagonisti e lo Shtetl stesso (ri)troveranno mai un po’ di pace. Capisco che non si possa parlare di lieto fine, ma a me è sembrata una perfetta conclusione.
August 29, 2021
For as long as anyone can remember, a caravan of gypsy traders provides the Jews of Kreskol with their only connection to the outside world. Situated in a remote part of a forest in Poland, the town was inexplicably overlooked by the Nazis, and has retained the traditions of eastern European shtetls or villages from before the Holocaust. Clothes are hand sewn, Yiddish is spoken, the sabbath is observed, the Rabbi is consulted for important life decisions. Think Anatevka of Fiddler on the Roof, without the singing.
This idyllic way of life is upended by the disappearance of a recently divorced young couple whose brief marriage was fractious and violent. Someone has to leave Kreskol to seek the help of Polish authorities. Who better to send than Yankel Lewinkopf?
A 19-year-old baker with a pleasant disposition, he is saddled with an unfortunate yichus (lineage). As the orphaned son of an unmarried prostitute, Yankel is considered to be expendable. Matchmakers will not find him a wife; relatives of his deceased mother do not welcome him in their home.
A trade is negotiated with the gypsies to transport Yankel to the nearest Polish town. As the caravan makes its way onto a paved road and then down a highway, author Max Gross sends the reader on an endearing madcap adventure mingling the past with present-day Poland.
Yankel experiences both wonderment and bafflement each time he comes across a fixture of current-day life. He has no word for phones, post-it notes, Velcro. With no one to ask in Yiddish how they work, he strives in a refreshingly innocent way to make sense of them.
The Polish people he approaches don’t understand his speech, and are hesitant if not hostile when Yankel shows them two pieces of parchment prepared by his Rabbi, asking in Polish and in Yiddish how to contact the police and the Jewish community. Jewish community? What Jewish community?
Unfamiliar with the movement of automobiles, Yankel accidently walks into the path of one. While being treated for his injuries in a hospital, the medical staff becomes concerned by his refusal to eat. He doesn’t partake of the food, of course, because it is not kosher. A Yiddish speaking scholar from a university is brought in to interpret for a psychiatric evaluation. Listening to Yankel’s account of life in Kreskol, the doctors are convinced they are dealing with a madman.
Does Kreskol exist? Not only the psychiatrists but soon the Polish government authorities also want to know – after all, this could be an unexpected source of tax revenue. The journalists, too, see an opportunity here, one that is rife with claims of fake news.
In Jewish folklore there is a mythical town called Chelm whose inhabitants rely on sages who solve problems by cooking up absurd solutions. These tales have provided much needed levity to counterbalance the horrors of decades of pogroms. While Kreskol has some similarities with Chelm, The Lost Shtetl expands the concept exponentially as the ironies of today’s values collide with the naivety inherent in a sheltered existence. The sages of Chelm are cleverly ridiculous. The characters created by Max Gross are more nuanced, flawed, varied, unpredictable and delightful to meet.
Reviewed by Janice Batzdorff, Librarian
This idyllic way of life is upended by the disappearance of a recently divorced young couple whose brief marriage was fractious and violent. Someone has to leave Kreskol to seek the help of Polish authorities. Who better to send than Yankel Lewinkopf?
A 19-year-old baker with a pleasant disposition, he is saddled with an unfortunate yichus (lineage). As the orphaned son of an unmarried prostitute, Yankel is considered to be expendable. Matchmakers will not find him a wife; relatives of his deceased mother do not welcome him in their home.
A trade is negotiated with the gypsies to transport Yankel to the nearest Polish town. As the caravan makes its way onto a paved road and then down a highway, author Max Gross sends the reader on an endearing madcap adventure mingling the past with present-day Poland.
Yankel experiences both wonderment and bafflement each time he comes across a fixture of current-day life. He has no word for phones, post-it notes, Velcro. With no one to ask in Yiddish how they work, he strives in a refreshingly innocent way to make sense of them.
The Polish people he approaches don’t understand his speech, and are hesitant if not hostile when Yankel shows them two pieces of parchment prepared by his Rabbi, asking in Polish and in Yiddish how to contact the police and the Jewish community. Jewish community? What Jewish community?
Unfamiliar with the movement of automobiles, Yankel accidently walks into the path of one. While being treated for his injuries in a hospital, the medical staff becomes concerned by his refusal to eat. He doesn’t partake of the food, of course, because it is not kosher. A Yiddish speaking scholar from a university is brought in to interpret for a psychiatric evaluation. Listening to Yankel’s account of life in Kreskol, the doctors are convinced they are dealing with a madman.
Does Kreskol exist? Not only the psychiatrists but soon the Polish government authorities also want to know – after all, this could be an unexpected source of tax revenue. The journalists, too, see an opportunity here, one that is rife with claims of fake news.
In Jewish folklore there is a mythical town called Chelm whose inhabitants rely on sages who solve problems by cooking up absurd solutions. These tales have provided much needed levity to counterbalance the horrors of decades of pogroms. While Kreskol has some similarities with Chelm, The Lost Shtetl expands the concept exponentially as the ironies of today’s values collide with the naivety inherent in a sheltered existence. The sages of Chelm are cleverly ridiculous. The characters created by Max Gross are more nuanced, flawed, varied, unpredictable and delightful to meet.
Reviewed by Janice Batzdorff, Librarian
November 11, 2020
This story opens on a scene straight out of Sholem Aleichem. Gradually, you realize the setting is completely contemporary. There is a little shtetl (a Jewish village) in rural Poland living like they did centuries ago. They are completely cut off from the modern world, but a marital conflict that opens the book brings big changes to this town.
As it happens, my grandfather was raised in a shtetl like this. I'm not a religious person, but this is my family history, and my culture. There's a glossary in the book of Yiddish and other words, but I didn't need it. I mention this, because as a minority in the larger American culture, those rare occasions when I get to experience something that's completely my own culture, it's such a comforting feeling. That's how this book made me feel.
But... It has A LOT more to recommend it! Now I can't say that I've never seen a story like this before. It's not a common trope, but there are several stories about places forgotten by time. And while there is nothing supernatural in this tale, at one point a character compares the village to "a Jewish Brigadoon." I have to confess, I'd had the very same thought.
But what I've described so far is a premise, nothing more. This is a story about characters thrust into extraordinary situations. They were well-drawn and generally sympathetic. I was certainly invested in their happiness. Despite there being a great deal of comedy in this story, there was also a lot of drama.
Possibly the single best compliment I can pay this book is this: I never knew what was going to happen. I mean, I really, REALLY didn't know what was going to happen. We get so used to stories following broad structures. This wasn't like that. It was unknown territory, for better or worse. I'm not sure I liked the ending. I'm not sure it was satisfying. But it was really interesting, and that counts for a lot.
I don't think this is a novel for all readers. It's quirky as hell, it's very ethnic, and I'd expect it to be polarizing. But, I loved it. If you're feeling intrigued, it's worth checking out. Let me know what you think!
As it happens, my grandfather was raised in a shtetl like this. I'm not a religious person, but this is my family history, and my culture. There's a glossary in the book of Yiddish and other words, but I didn't need it. I mention this, because as a minority in the larger American culture, those rare occasions when I get to experience something that's completely my own culture, it's such a comforting feeling. That's how this book made me feel.
But... It has A LOT more to recommend it! Now I can't say that I've never seen a story like this before. It's not a common trope, but there are several stories about places forgotten by time. And while there is nothing supernatural in this tale, at one point a character compares the village to "a Jewish Brigadoon." I have to confess, I'd had the very same thought.
But what I've described so far is a premise, nothing more. This is a story about characters thrust into extraordinary situations. They were well-drawn and generally sympathetic. I was certainly invested in their happiness. Despite there being a great deal of comedy in this story, there was also a lot of drama.
Possibly the single best compliment I can pay this book is this: I never knew what was going to happen. I mean, I really, REALLY didn't know what was going to happen. We get so used to stories following broad structures. This wasn't like that. It was unknown territory, for better or worse. I'm not sure I liked the ending. I'm not sure it was satisfying. But it was really interesting, and that counts for a lot.
I don't think this is a novel for all readers. It's quirky as hell, it's very ethnic, and I'd expect it to be polarizing. But, I loved it. If you're feeling intrigued, it's worth checking out. Let me know what you think!
November 16, 2020
I didn't know anything about the plot for "The Lost Shtetl" going into reading it, and I think it was perfect that way. So, I'm not going to describe the plot in detail in this review. I just have to say that I was completely taken with the story and with Max Gross' writing style.
The story starts with the vibe of an old Polish village tale but then morphs into so much more - it becomes a story about what happens when a particular society is pushed into progress and change and the choices we make to stay connected to our past. I loved the inclusion of Yiddish words (with a helpful glossary) and Jewish traditions because this made the whole book feel so much more authentic. And while the tone of the novel varies (from humor to violence to mystery), I felt fully invested in each of the character's journeys.
I'll definitely be recommending this to other readers, and I'm completely blown away by the fact that this was Gross' first novel. I can't wait to see what direction he heads in next.
*Free ARC provided by Netgalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review*
The story starts with the vibe of an old Polish village tale but then morphs into so much more - it becomes a story about what happens when a particular society is pushed into progress and change and the choices we make to stay connected to our past. I loved the inclusion of Yiddish words (with a helpful glossary) and Jewish traditions because this made the whole book feel so much more authentic. And while the tone of the novel varies (from humor to violence to mystery), I felt fully invested in each of the character's journeys.
I'll definitely be recommending this to other readers, and I'm completely blown away by the fact that this was Gross' first novel. I can't wait to see what direction he heads in next.
*Free ARC provided by Netgalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review*
June 22, 2020
This won’t be published until October but I received an advanced copy from Edelweiss. I completely agree with the publisher who describes it as “a remarkable debut novel - written with the fearless imagination of Michael Chabon and the piercing humor of Gary Shteyngart . . .” For over fifty years the tiny Jewish shtetl of Kreskol has existed virtually untouched and unchanged. Spared of the Holocaust and Cold War, Kreskol has enjoyed an isolated peace. But when a marriage dispute spirals out of control, Kreskol is suddenly rediscovered and brought into the 21st Century. A thoroughly enjoyable read, with lots of humor, but also incredibly sophisticated, clever, and thought provoking. Really impressive and a definite possibility for my book clubs.
December 25, 2020
As good as so many people told me!
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