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Book Overview
Whether set in Maxim D. Shrayer's native Russia or in North America and Western Europe, the eight stories in this collection explore emotionally intricate relationships that cross traditional boundaries of ethnicity, religion, and culture. Tracing the lives, obsessions, and aspirations of Jewish-Russian immigrants, these poignant, humorous, and tender stories create an expansive portrait of individuals struggling to come to terms with ghosts of their European pasts while simultaneously seeking to build new lives in their American present.
The title story follows Jake Glaz, a young Jewish man apprehensive about marrying a Catholic woman. After realizing Erin will not convert, Jake leaves the United States to spend Yom Kippur in Amsterdam, "a beautiful place for a Jew to atone." In "Sonetchka" a literary scholar and his former girlfriend from Moscow reunite in her suburban Connecticut apartment. As they reminisce about their Soviet youth and quietly admire each other's professional successes, both wrestle with the curious mix of prosperity, loneliness, and insecurity that defines their lives in the United States. Yom Kippur in Amsterdam takes the immigrant narrative into the twenty-first century. Emerging from the traditions of Isaac Babel, Vladimir Nabokov, and Isaac Bashevis Singer, Shrayer's vibrant literary voice significantly contributes to the evolution of Jewish writing in America.Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0815609183
ISBN13:9780815609186
Release Date:September 2009
Publisher:Syracuse University Press
Length:156 Pages
Weight:0.75 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 5.8" x 8.8"
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
Luminous Stories that are a Pleasure to Read
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
A young Jewish man tries to decide if he should marry the girlfriend who refuses to convert; a famous poet encounters a woman who once meant a lot to him but lost through his own cowardice; two Soviet emigres to America become reacquainted after nine years; a Russian man reminisces about the beautiful mermaid he once saw in a lake in his youth. Shrayer who emigrated from the Soviet Union at the age of 20 shows complete mastery of the English language in all its profound beauty, in both the stories he translated from his Russian or orignally wrote in English. These stories of loss and longing are luminous and moving, and Shrayer deserves a wider audience.
A fine collection of short stories
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
Culture barriers stop many people from doing many things. "Yom Kippur in Amsterdam" is a collection of short stories from Maxim D. Shrayer, his collection focusing on culture clash and the people who dare to try to overcome it. With simple prose and fascinating characters, and a positive message, "Yom Kippur in Amsterdam" is a fine collection of short stories which does not deserve to be ignored.
Shrayer's Yom Kippur
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
I should confess - I really loved this new book by Maxim Shrayer, just as I loved his recent Waiting for America. There is something in his writing that strikes a strong emotional and intellectual resonance. Each one of the delightful short stories is a gem; very original, and even the occasional themes already seen elsewhere somehow read fresh.
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