Pinc's Picks

"Everything Is Illuminated" - Jonathan Safran Foer

Over the weekend I finished reading Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, the book I selected for this month's book club meeting. Sitting at my computer waiting for Tropical Storm Ernesto to roll into town, I regret that I plowed through the book on Sunday when I had plenty of time to finish it today.

Regardless of the hurried manner in which I read a great deal of this book, I enjoyed it. I wouldn't say that it lived up to the hype. Half the book was a pure delight while the other half mostly represented something to trudge through before reaching the good stuff again. Oddly, it reminded me of War and Peace in that respect, not just because both books are set in similar parts of the world (Russia and the Ukraine) but because in War and Peace I found myself trudging through the war portions to return to the peace.

Here, the funniest and most thought-provoking portions of the book were written by Alex, a 20 year old Ukrainian who served as the tour guide and translator for the other main character, also named Jonathan Safran Foer, a 20 year old American trying to find a woman named Augustine who saved his grandfather from the Nazis during World War II. The book is written as a series of letters exchanged between the two; Alex's tell the story of Jonathan's visit to the Ukraine and the relationship of the two men afterwards; Jonathan's letters we never see, but the fictional story of the village from which his grandfather hailed. The Trachimbrod portions of the book, steeped in magical realism, are frequently more strange than enthralling. But Alex's mangled English is akin to a verbal sight-gag of sorts and made me laugh out loud on more than a few occasions.

Secrets abound in Everything Is Illuminated, and in the end, most are revealed (as one might guess from the title). The remaining loose ends leave just enough room for speculation. But in the end, the revelation of those remaining secrets doesn't matter.

I must admit that I started reading this book three times before I was ultimately able to finish it. It's not a quick read, though a mere 270 pages. If you work well with deadlines, set one for yourself if you want to make it to the end of this book. Because believe me, the Trachimbrod portions will lose you along the way if you let them. Ultimately, I'm glad I read Everything Is Illuminated and I think it makes a great discussion book. Definitely looking forward to book club this month!

posted by Danya @ 8/29/2006 06:01:00 PM