Customer Reviews

Elijah Visible: Stories

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This book has made me think about what it means to be a secular Jew in America.For years, my mother has asked me how G-d could have allowedsuch a horrific event as the holocaust to occur, and I would just listen intently and explain that it was not the making of G-d, but of the errors of a human race (Nazism) that has gone evil. Never had I thought of the effect that this tragedy has had on modern Jewish life, and the way that we see OURSELVES according to the perceived silence of our G-d. Thane Rosenbaum has put together a brilliant set of stories about the "disfunctional" Jewish family as a result of the nightmares of our ancestors.The best book I have read in months

I wish more people would read this book. As a child of Survivors myself, the author is an excellent writer, giving a truthful portrayal of the life of a 2nd generation adult.
The first short story, concerning an overworked attorney stuck in an elevator who "believes" it is a cattlecar, is incredible. I am also an attorney, and once worked at a large law firm, as did Posner, the main character in the story. Most lawyers at those firms get little sleep, and therefore, their minds easily play games with them. One of the reviews claimed that this story was "overdone", but he fails to realize that for some children of Survivors, our minds work like our parents', in the sense that certain situations remind us of the Holocaust (some call this 'secondary post-traumatic stress disorder'). Rosenbaum did the best job I
have ever seen in depicting this.
The other stories are excellent, as well. One great one, which is humorous, by the way, concerns Posner's having lit a Yahrzeit candle, which commemorates the anniversary of the death of a parent. His beautiful girlfriend, tipsy, bursts into his house and wants to grab him - although he normally would love this, her careless movements threaten to extinguish the candle, which Posner is bent on saving.
Rosenbaum has the talent that a great writer must has - his ability to describe a scene is incredible, his characters are well-developed, and, most importantly, he reveals a world that most people cannot know - the world of the 2nd generation. I am so happy that we have him!

Words cannot describe the effect this book has on you. I was left with such an aching heart and admiration for Rosenbaums' writing ability. I had never thought about the effect of the holocaust on the children of survivors. Rosenbaum describes, in exquisite detail, the consequences of this horrific event on the survivors and their children.
Rosnbaum's writing is brilliant. It is a wonder he is not more well known. His other novels, Second Hand Smoke and the Golems of Gotham, are equally powerful books. His message should be told to all the world so that we can better understand the effects of what was done to our generation of the children of survivors.
This book is a must read-one that you will never forget.

Mr. Rosenbaum ...uses careful- artful -brilliance to display how the surreal horrors of the Holocaust continue to touch and pick at the souls of the children whose parents survived the camps.