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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A slice of immigrant life,
By
This review is from: Memoirs of a Muse (Paperback)
Lara Vapnyar's There Are Jews in My House is a collection of short stories depicting well drawn Russian characters. Her first novel contains a bit of the Russian immigrant experience, quite a bit of satire, and a warning of the perils of attaching yourself to a man of genius.
Tanya emigrates to New York in her 20s, and concludes "[t]hough Americans were often criticized for having bad taste in clothes or ignorance of European culture, they were clearly believed to be the superior race. 'I know this American ... ' or 'One American told me' people kept saying, unaware of how proud they sounded." Tanya attaches herself to a "man of genius", but learns "A great writer was supposed to be self-destructive, wasn't he? I could hardly imagine Dostoyevsky jogging, gulping down protein smoothies, or summoning the shrink to relieve him of his sadness or agitation. Sadness and agitation made Dostoyevsky grab his quill and write! Madness was the core of his writing." Tanya eventually realizes that even if genius is authentic, the real relationship can be mundane and boring. The characters came alive for me, and I found the plot twisty and satisfying. I'll look forward to her next novel with real interest. Robert C. Ross 2009 |
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Memoirs of a Muse by Lara Vapnyar (Paperback - April 10, 2007)
$13.95 $11.86
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