A Satirical Masterpiece – Encounter With The Netanyahus –

Genre: Satire/ Humorous fiction

In this brilliant book, author Joshua Collins cleverly blends reality with fiction with an ample dose of humor.  A relatively minor incident in the lives of Netanyahu family is the central theme of this comic novel.

This 2022 Pulitzer Prize winner published in 2021, won the National Jewish Award for fiction in the very same year. 

This is the story of the father of Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest-serving Prime Minister of Israel.  Dr. Ruben Blum is an American history professor, and his love for history can be summed up in his own words: “I live as a historian, and when I die, I will be history.” He is of Jewish origin and teaches American history at the fictional Corbyn College. Blum takes pride in his American upbringing and his knowledge of American history. 

In this breezy book, he narrates how his very ordinary, bordering-to-boring life is turned upside down while trying to fulfill a responsibility entrusted to him by his college authorities. He is asked to take up the responsibility of hiring an exiled historian, a fellow Jew, Benzion Netanyahu, who specializes in European History. 

Blum’s rich mom-in-law warns him that Benzion Netanyahu will be bad news for him either way. If he recommends him, it will sound clannish, and he could lose his status as the only Jewish professor.  If he doesn’t, he would be ridiculed for not accepting a fellow Jew. 

The professor even receives an anonymous letter with a request not to accept the Jewish professor for his right-wing Zionist views.

One dinner invitation is all it takes for the Blums to lose their identity in their own house.  Netanyahus – the rattled wife and the rambunctious children – ransack their home and their senses. 

The final nail in the coffin is laid when the Blums get back home after attending Netanyahu’s lecture and are taken aback by the children’s behavior. The Blums don’t hesitate to throw the boys out of their home during that cold, snowy night. 

In the very interesting “Credits and Extra Credit” afterword section, the author admits relying mostly on his own experiences with the Netanyahus – a sort of reality depiction.

All three sons of Benzion Netanyahu later joined the Israeli military and became immensely efficient in their chosen fields. Elder son Yonatan’s reputation goes global after he saves their hijacked plane from terrorists with all except one alive in a daring counter-terrorism attack in Entebbe, Uganda in 1976. Yonatan himself loses his life in this most spoken-about commando operation.

His younger brother Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving Prime Minister of Israel. Both these brothers’ courage and conviction are stuff that folklores are made of.

Their youngest brother Iddo Netanyahu is an author and playwright who made the US his home. Their father Benzion Netanyahu died at the ripe old age of 103 after an eventful life, including teaching history at Cornell University.

 What I like about the book: The author turns this fiction with glimpses of reality into a hilarious comedy.

Readers’ empathy is with Professor Blum and his family all the way for the predicament they are in. Their only fault is that they try to be good hosts. In spite of that, the author explains the whole situation in an easy-going, lighthearted way, bringing a smile on readers’ lips. When Mrs. Netanyahu senior decides to treat Mrs. Blum’s wardrobe as her own, I’m in total shock, and totally empathize with Mrs. Blum who is outwitted in her own home by a stranger.

A family of ill-tempered parents and unruly kids turning new leaves in their lives is truly inspiring. This minor episode could have had the least effect on the lives of the famous Netanyahu family, and it proves the famous quote: “Never judge a book by its cover.”

Takeaway: When situations go beyond one’s control, stop worrying; try to laugh about it; also, learn to laugh at oneself.

Book Review -AFTERLIVES- A Lucid Tale of East African Colonization and Beyond

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For some time, I have been planning to read the books of 2021 Literature Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah but was unsure which one to start with.  Following a few google recommendations, I zeroed in on his 2020 historical fiction, Afterlives and wasn’t disappointed.

The story, set in East Africa more than a century ago when it was colonized by superpowers from Europe mainly the German and later the British, spans over WWI through WWII, and culminates in the latter part of 20th century. The author expertly weaves into this war story the happenings in the mundane existence of a few ordinary people from an unnamed, nondescript town (presently a part of Tanzania) and moves beyond war, making it an engrossing historical fiction.

Through the book, Gurnah traces the lives of two young local Africans – Iliyas and Hamsa – who voluntarily join German Schutztruppe (German Colonial troops in East Africa) as Askaris (soldiers) to fight the war for Germans. Unknown to and far away from each other, their future gets intertwined, touching the lives of their near and dear ones.  

A bit slow to piques one’s interest in the beginning, the story picks up while giving the reader a glimpse of the German soldiers at war. Their rare triumphs, many disappointments, and violent streaks boomerang on the reader. The war story is cut short along with one of the protagonists Hamza’s sudden departure (due to the explosive outburst of one of his seniors and the empathy of his officer-in-charge) from the battalion. The reader too departs from the horrors of the war except for its indirect impacts like economic downturn from which the nation as a whole suffers. Hereon, the reader follows Hamza’s life with fascination and gets hooked on to the lives of all those around him – Afiya, Khalifa, Iliyas and others.

Khalifa, whom the author introduces in the opening pages as a man who can read and write, is a pleasant boy of Indian origin sent to take care of the accounting work of a merchant; he ends up marrying the merchant’s niece Bi Asha. Unable to bear children, Bi Asha turns cynical and spiritual.

Iliyas: Khalifa makes friends with Iliyas, a German-speaking young man, who appears from nowhere into their small town. Iliyas, as a young boy, is kidnapped by German soldiers and made to work on a German farm; he is also sent to a German school – the reason for his love for anything that is German to such an extent that he loves the idea of Germans colonizing his own country. During the war, he joins the German Forces – the Schutztruppe- as an Askari. 

Hamza, on the other hand, is sold by his parents to a merchant when he is too young. He joins as an askari to get out of his miserable existence. The reader gets to trace the happenings during the war through Hamza’s life and his journey during the war along with the German battalion. Hamsa, being a local, is ill-treated and beaten by a superior in violent anger. Luckily for him, he is nursed back to health by a pastor and his wife while the rest of this battalion moves on to fight a losing battle.

Afiya: After years of recuperating, doing odd jobs, Hamza too lands in the same village of Khalifa. Before long, he falls in love with Iliyas’ sister Afiya who is sheltered and taken care of by Khalifa and his wife for their love for Iliyas.  Afiya and Hamza are happily married and have a child whom they name Iliyas in memory of her brother who never returns from the war.

Younger and educated Iliyas, after fighting the battle of his own demons during his growing up years, takes it on him to track the whereabouts of his namesake maternal uncle. 

The fact that Gurnah, a post-war East African, lived in Tanzania until 1960, makes this story more realistic. Written lucidly with no great artistic prose, the book will touch a chord in every individual whose country had been invaded/looted by Western powers.

Who should read: War story enthusiasts and historical fiction aficionados. Another lot who would enjoy the book is those who find happiness in reading about the daily grind of ordinary humans. I’m not much of a war-story reader; still, I enjoyed the book though it took some time for me to warm up. The storytelling is simple in its presentation and language.

What is not in favor: The slow beginning that could put off many a reader. Does my feeling that the book ended in a hurry ring a bell with others?

Book Review —- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Rereading​ with joy unparalleled 

No way I am attempting to review this ‘Mother of all Classics.’ I simply want to share what I felt after revisiting the book a few weeks ago.

“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Through this opening sentence in this epic novel, Leo Tolstoy conveys to his readers that his incomparable saga, Anna Karenina, is not just a literary novel; rather it’s a realistic fiction for which the author picks his characters straight from life, peppering it with his philosophical views.

I was pondering over the first part of the statement, “Happy families are all alike,” over and again. As in real life, there is no ideal happy family in this book. All through, one can observe rift between couples due to lack of communication, misunderstanding, adultery, or jealousy – at times irreparable and sometimes mendable. The second part of the sentence, “Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” is the universal truth. No two family is unhappy because of similar reasons or situations.

Interwoven into the extramarital affair of the chief protagonists, Anna Karenina, and Count Alexey Vronksy, are lives of the 19th Century Russian Aristocracy with all its grandeur and lowliness. In this epic of two parallel love stories, Anna and Vronsky’s guilt-ridden passion and love takes the centerstage; however, the author gives almost equal space to the tender and ordinary love story of Ekaterina Shcherbatskaya (Kitty) and Konstantin Levin (Kostya) evoking a flood of emotions in the reader.

I never meant to review this book. My rereading was for pure enjoyment; during this time, I started paying more attention to the mental makeup of the central characters, enabling me to marvel at Tolstoy’s exemplary psychoanalytic ability.

Anna Karenina: Elegant Anna is one of the most admired ladies in the society. Deprived of love and passion in her marriage, she loses her mind and soul over a younger man who opens new vistas of intimacy to her. After forsaking her honor and her son for this man, Anna’s absolute passion turns into possessiveness. Her emotions take charge of her – temper, jealousy, lack of self-worth, and disappointment – creating havoc in Anna’s and Vronsky’s lives.

Is it because women of those times never had a profession/occupation that they could be proud of?  Anna’s singular fault is finding love and happiness outside the wedlock, and she pays a heavy price for it. I wish she wasn’t so wired about her man. In real life too, insecurity along with jealousy can do worse things even to the smartest.

Alexey Vronsky: This dashing, young Army Officer falls head over heels in love with much-married Anna and woos her to no end. Once the initial passion wears off, he is confused and is incapable of making any strong decision regarding their lives together though he knows what he felt for her is not a passing fancy. When Anna’s jealousy raises its ugly head, Vronsky turns helpless. Though he tries to change for his love, he too has his limitations. He is driven into desperation because of his lady love’s baseless jealousy. Young, debonair Vronsky doesn’t deserve the fate he embraces.

It has been proven time and again that love, passion, and live-in relationships outside the societal norms could wreak havoc in the lives of those involved. Even after a century-and-a-half, nothing much has changed. Life can still be tough for such people.

Alexey Alexandrovich: Married to Anna and with a son, he wants nothing but normalcy in married life and is ready to overlook his wife’s trespassing, provided her rendezvous are not at home.  Once that rule is broken, he is all out to destroy her. He is depicted as a man who hates blemishes in his public life. Even with his cultivated façade of rationality and dispassionate behavior towards his wife and child, Karenin may not evoke empathy in the reader; however, it’s tough to hate him. He is complicated and mixed up. Narcissistic or too frightened to lose his place in the society?

All three of them are victims of a repressive society where married men and women and their extramarital affairs had been looked at, differently. Anna’s own brother Stepan could get away with his repeat philandering ways and adultery. Sadly, then (during 19th century) as well as now (21st century), women who stray are not seen through the same looking glass as their male counterparts.  

Konstantin Levin: He loves his farm, his life, and his farmers. However, he is of the opinion that anything that is of no use to him, he shouldn’t fret about. An aristocratic farm owner with simple tastes yet complicated in many ways. The silver lining in his life is the presence of Kitty and their undying love for each other.

While Vronsky is flamboyant, self-confident, and an extrovert with leadership qualities, Levin is insecure, modest, and an introvert to boot.  He is humble yet unable to appreciate other people at the outset; he is intelligent and hardworking but almost always in self-doubt, confusion, chaos.

In the end, it’s interesting to note that Tolstoy supports and lets thrive the steady love of Kostya and Kitty than the fiery passion between Vronsky and Anna, reflecting the mindset of those times.

Ekaterina Shcherbatskaya: The calming, steady force in Levin’s life. A simple yet intelligent girl who was told that life is complete with marriage and family. With a heart of gold, Kitty is ready to shower her love on anyone who needs it; doesn’t hold a grudge. One can love her, empathize with her, and wish her well all the way.

These few characters do not make Anna Karenina. Anna’s brother Stepan Arkedyich Oblonski, the pleasure-seeking junior official in the Ministry who has no qualms about having an affair with his children’s governess, begging forgiveness from his wife, and starting another one sooner, plays a vital role in the story. He represents the chauvinistic attitude of the society.

Countess Lydia Ivanonvna, a pious woman who uses Christianity and spiritualism to do what she feels is right is the the one-woman army who destroys every chance of a divorce between Anna and her husband. Lydia ensures that Alexey Alexandrovich is totally under her spell and controls his life in the name of Christianity, secretly loving him all the time.

Religious fundamentalism in any form can only make life miserable for people then and now.

Emotions are found in abundance in all relationships in the book ‒ love, passion, jealousy, infidelity, or incompatibility – Is it what Tolstoy observed around him?

Revisiting the book helped me be a part of the emotional roller coaster of the characters and analyzing it brought the realization that almost nothing has changed after centuries.

My only grievance with the book is its ominous volume. Having said that, I didn’t miss out a single sentence as it was my second reading.

Yes, I love the narrative with many complex characters interlinked effortlessly into the tragic love story, making it totally engrossing and enjoyable. 

Suggestion: Chances are remote that you haven’t read the book, but for some odd reason if you haven’t, please read at the next opportunity; if you are a Tolstoy fan like me and have read Anna Karenina and War and Peace ages ago, go ahead and revisit the book; get into the mind of the characters, and the joy will be boundless.