The novel is written in a somewhat unique, somewhat frustrating way. There are three seemingly disparate and disconnected stories being told. One is the story of Ruth, a Jewish Lithuanian immigrant who left with her family in the early 1900s for New York - but wound up Cork, Ireland instead. Then there's the story of Shem, a mute Jewish teenager who is keeping his mother's secret, which takes place in the late 1950s. And finally, there is the contemporary story of Irish Catholic Aisling who is contemplating taking a leap of faith for her Jewish boyfriend.
Initially, due to the way the stories unfold, it was confusing. Then I decided to just go with it, not torturing myself trying to figure out how the stories might eventually connect. For that, I was rewarded by a very interesting read. I knew virtually nothing about the struggles of the Jewish community in Ireland. In fact, I really never even considered that their might have been a Jewish community in Ireland. In addition, I picked up a little bit of Irish history to boot. And I was satisfied with the ending.
I'd highly recommend this book.
That sounds very interesting. Thank you for your review.
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