Customer Reviews

In the Image: A Novel

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a fantastic book; I would recommend it to anyone: Jew, gentile, and in-between.

The story lines are great, especially those set in modern times; I think that some of the scenes in the book will resonate strongly with (and amuse!) anyone who has had contact with the religious Jewish community. (I especially got a kick out of the use of the term "Mad Hatter" to describe a formerly non-religious Jewish boy who turns deeply religious later in life.) The balance between seriousness and glibness is struck perfectly.

What I found most impressive about this book was its accessibility. It is a really cleverly-written book with many layers (with all kinds of references to stories and ideas from the Bible and Jewish tradition... and I'm sure there are many that I missed), yet it is not pretentious at all. This is rare and very refreshing. Horn is able to write a great book without resorting to making her writing purposefully obscure or weird; this quality truly distinguishes _In the Image_.

I must say, in the absence of overzealous marketing, I simply did not know to expect so much from this outstanding debut. (This book thankfully does not seem to have fallen victim to the overhyped and often misleading marketing campaigns so typical of young debut novelists.) But it deserves all the attention and praise of the year's "hot new fiction," and then some. I was stunned by this young author's ability to apply her real wisdom and appreciation for history, culture, and literature, to an engrossing story that flows across generations and continents. Every line seems imbedded with literary or philosophical meaning that becomes palpable as you near the second half of the book, culminating in two final chapters that are shocking in their originality of style and substance. It is a story that will speak to anyone, whether young or old, Jewish or not, someone out for a "literary" experience, or someone just looking for an enjoyable book that leaves you with many things to think about even as it entertains with its mysteries of character and faith. The layers of the story make this a book you can enjoy again and again as you reread it (I am halfway through my second reading). One criticism, though, is that it takes until about the third chapter for the author's full momentum to get going. But once you realize how the chapters start inter-connecting, the effect is staggering, sort of like a mystery you didn't realize was being woven all around you. Going back to re-read all the things you miss on the first pass feels like a guilty pleasure. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

The last year has seen a spate of first novels by Jewish -- and, more importantly, Jewishly aware -- authors... "In the Image" is... a phenomenal read. Any student of Yiddish literature will recognize deliberately traced patterns of Singer, Peretz, Sforim and other giants of the Yiddish canon throughout what proves to be a carefully crafted, deeply thoughtful meditation on identity and meaning in modern life. This is not to say that one has to be a Yiddishist to appreciate it as a work of art: "In the Image" is the beautiful, well-written and closely felt statement of a brilliant mind.

Make no mistake: its relative lack of flattering press clippings notwithstanding (and it is encouraging to note that those publications that have reviewed this book have done so in the most positive, enthusiastic fashion imaginable), this is the best work of Jewish-themed fiction -- one might even say the best work of fiction, period -- by a new author in years... Dara Horn has genuine talent and evidences an equally genuine passion for the written word. I look forward to following her career as it develops.

This novel is filled with Jewish characters, history and traditions, but will resonate with both Jews and non-Jews. "In the Image" deals with universal themes about fitting in and growing up, finding love, forgiving our elders for their mistakes, the importance and restrictions of religious traditions and how our past shapes our future.

This novel will appeal to the college student, looking for an entertaining and meaningful story for a leisurely read, as much as to the philosopher questioning religion. There are so many levels on which the reader can appreciate this novel - from the unexpected plot twists and romantic love story to the philosophical views about the role of God in our daily lives.

The book is beautifully written with symbols and images that recur throughout the text. Horn has an impressive eye for detail and meaning, which is profound and refreshingly down to earth. She also shows her worldliness and depth of experience, which is rare in someone so young.

As the reader turns the pages, she finds herself exclaiming appreciatively, "Yes! I have also felt that way and noticed that, but I never would have been able to express it so well!" I can't wait for Dara Horn's next novel!

I reserved this book from the library from a newspaper book review which strong recommendationed it. And I can only say WOW. It's impressive. I'm not a literary scholar, I just like books and movies that take you someplace you haven't been before with real life characters. (Those with good and bad personality traits.) Dara Horn has done just that with an enormous amount of research and knowldege on history and places. Dara Horn has captured the real feelings of normal people. She's written two wonderful love stories in this book. She shows so much maturity in her characters and research that I am continuosuly amazed that author could only be 25!!

Read this book before they ruin the story by making it into a movie.

I just finished reading Horn's _In the Image_ and was so moved by it I am writing a review-- for the first time ever--on Amazon. I wanted to write a review of it because I enjoyed it so immensely, but am finding it difficult to express my experience in words because it is one of the few books I have read in my life that has so deeply affected the way I look at the world. The character development in this book is so delicately crafted I felt like I actually knew the characters as intimately as I know my own husband and children. The stories-- which take place in the WWII Europe, contemporary New Jersey, and turn of the century New York-- are so beautifully (and often surprisingly) intertwined that reading this novel has made me wonder how my life connects to those of the people I see everyday. And the biblical imagery and allusions throughout are so lyrical and thought-provoking that I'm even starting to think about my own personal relationship to Judaism in a new light (my husband is Jewish). Without question, this is the best book I have read in many, many years. That it comes from a debut novelist is positively extraordinary!
I can't wait to read it again with my book group this coming November (I've absolutely insisted that we read it), and I recommend to anyone who seeks a fascinating and completely page-turning read to buy Horn's _In the Image_.
-Helen Greene

This is a beautiful book, and nearly impossible to explain. The book is about the life of a young suburban girl in America. The book is about the life of an elderly man whose family has gone through persecution in Europe and struggle in America. But most importantly, the book is about the way lives intertwine and overlap, sometimes without our even realizing it. I suppose that description sounds like it could apply to other books. But this book is truly special, culminating in a terrific ending. I would especially recommend it to anyone who loves rereading books and finding new things each time or is interested in a book which is a loving rendering of stories of immigrants.

The main reason I am not going to give it five stars is because I believe even better things lie ahead in the future for this very young and very talented author.

My husband and I shared our copy, and took turns reading this book. We had trouble deciding who was going to get to read it, because we both found it compelling. But it's more than a page-turner. Each chapter is rich with history and the kind of facts and details that makes you feel as if you're living the drama, not just reading about it. The ties between the characters are fascinating, and reveals how each of our lives has the potential to impact another. As a Jew, this book made me think about the value of ritual practice (or not), and how I define myself in terms of my culture and religion. My husband and I used the book as the basis for some wonderful discussions, and I recommended it to the book group at my synagogue. A winner!

This is a lovely and precise novel about the ways in which memory and the past and things that almost could have been permeate our lives, color our decisions. Reading it is like looking at slides, one on top of the other so that you can see two things at once. Hmm. That sounds confusing. But trust me -- the book isn't. This is a beautiful story.

Dara Horn's book, In the Image, is one of those rare books that actually makes you feel like a slightly different person once you've finished reading it. The characters get under your skin and stick with you, changing you the way that meeting certain people does. In fact, the characters are so realistic, and the storyline so gripping, that at around 4:30 in the morning (I started reading one night and just couldn't stop), I looked up and wondered where I was. That's how absorbing this book is.

One of the best parts about this book are the numerous bits of wisdom and startling observations that actually changed the way I look at the most mundane daily things. At one point, Horn observes that "...both babies and old people have such unbelievably tight grips with their hands. On the edges of life, everyone is afraid to let go." Breathtaking turns of phrase like this await the reader on every page.

I firmly believe that Dara Horn will be the Saul Bellow of this generation. If you're going to read one book this year, or this decade, or frankly, in your entire life -- I highly, highly recommend that it be In the Image, by Dara Horn.