Title: How to Find Your Way in the Dark
Author: Derek B. Miller
A finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and winner of the Jewish Fiction Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries, this book has received high praise from the likes of the New York Times and the author Richard Russo, among others.
As the story opens, 12-year-old Sheldon Horowitz is still recovering from his mother's death the prior year when his father is killed in a suspicious traffic accident near their home in rural Massachusetts. As the publisher's blurb states "It is 1938, and Sheldon, who was in the truck, emerges from the crash an orphan hell-bent on revenge. He takes that fire with him to Hartford, where he embarks on a new life under the roof of his buttoned-up Uncle Nate.
"Sheldon, his teenage cousins Abe and Mirabelle, and his best friend, Lenny, will contend with tradition and orthodoxy, appeasement and patriotism, Mafia hitmen and angry accordion players, all while World War II takes center stage alongside a hurricane in New England and comedians in the Catskills. With his eye always on vengeance for his father’s murder, Sheldon stakes out his place in a world he now understands is comprised largely of crimes: right and wrong, big and small."
Insights and Opinions
Some of us had already read two earlier works by Miller, Norwegian by Night and American by Day, two satisfying Nordic mysteries. So it was with some surprise that we approached this work, which is not a mystery but does include an element of mystery and the same propulsive forward motion one finds in a good mystery.
Spoilers ahead. Be forewarned!
+ Miller has peopled this book with a cast of fascinating, well-wrought characters. Sheldon, the protagonist, is brilliant, damaged, and still an unformed teenager, fiercely clutching a burning rage and unformed plan for ultimate revenge against those he blames for his father's death. We come to know his father Joseph, even though he dies in the first few pages, as a kind, steady, gentle soul who has a profound impact on his son. Uncle Nate is the quintessential "keep quiet and get ahead" guy until subsequent events transform him into a shadow. Several years older than Sheldon, cousin Abe is fierce, idealistic and angry, appalled by injustice, anti-Semitism, and the gathering pre-War cloud in Europe. Abe's sister Mirabelle hides in plain sight, presenting herself as brash and practical while hiding her own deep wounds.
+ One of our first questions for each other was genre. Where should one slot this book? It's not a classic mystery, but there is a central mystery. Some sections include all the elements of a caper. There is humor, but it's not a comedy. Nor does it fall cleanly into the category of historical fiction, although the Nazis, anti-Semitism, and Jewish resorts in the Catskills all play an important role. Ultimately, we decided, it's a coming of age story and wondered if the way this book slides across multiple genres is the reason it hasn't received more of the attention it deserves.
+ Margy suggested that if the book had been titled Twilight Crimes, which are defined on the opening page of the novel as "a. crimes of a lesser degree b. crimes of a questionable moral nature c. crimes of possible moral virtue (controversial)," the book would have been slotted squarely in the crime fiction genre.
+ Vicky quoted Miller as calling this work an epic and a project for which he is very proud. "And he should be. This book reflects a lot of effort in term of complexity, coming of age, history. I applaud him," she said.
+ We wondered about the title of the book and its meaning and ultimately decided to take it quite literally -- that the story is about Sheldon finding his way out of the dark. Lois noted that the scene in which Sheldon and his friend Lenny are stumbling around in the dark in the Catskills, looking for their way back, is a direct metaphor. Sheldon is in the dark and needs to find his way.
+ Our reactions to the book varied with the methods that we used to read it. Those of us who were able to read it more or less uninterrupted enjoyed it thoroughly. Those who, through the busyness of life, read it in fits and starts, were less ardent in our praise. The book holds a big cast of characters, and unless you are taking notes along the way, it's easy to lose track of who is who and why they are important. On the up side, Miller is careful to insert brief recaps from time to time to remind the reader of what's occurred in the past.
+ Linda felt that Sheldon's conversations with himself in the mirror were an effective and creative way of letting the reader inside his head. The Sheldon in the mirror, as Lois pointed out, could read Sheldon's mind. Sheldon used his mirror self to argue, to talk through options, to figure out his next move, often with unexpected and delightful humor.
Example: "What do you think?" Sheldon asked the idiot in the mirror. "Shoot Lorenzo and join Abe in Canada? I could leave a note for Lenny saying I had to run. "
"You'll never feel Miriam's breasts in your palms if you do," came the reply.
Strictly speaking, this should not have been a consideration. He shouldn't be weighing vengeance for his father's death against the chance to feel up Miriam in a broom closet.
Still: Once you get an idea like that in your head, it's hard to shake."
+ We wondered about the source of cousin Abe's burning anger at such a young age, especially without a specific motivating incident. Margy proposed the possibility that it was due to the fact his father was willing to do anything to get ahead. Liz offered that his mother's death in a tragic fire would have left a terrible mark. Chris noted that he was well-read and up on current events, seeing anti-Semitism both from a distance as well as near at hand.
+ A few things struck us as either a bit jarring or perhaps under-developed. Liz felt the section in the Catskills with the moving of jewelry back and forth was suddenly very comic and a bit of a tonal shift veering toward Keystone Kops. We all felt that what happens to Abe is sudden and perhaps gratuitous, and that the end of the book is perhaps a bit too tidy.
+ Linda asked whether others had a hard time with Sheldon's actual age versus the adult manner in which he spoke and functioned. Is this believeable? But the story takes places in the 1930s and 40s, when people grew up faster and a teenager was as likely as not to emancipate at an early age. Linda also was quite taken with Sheldon's method of turning things over in his mind, imagining three or four scenarios in great detail before making a decision.
+ Overall, while we found some things to criticize (we always do) we were all impressed with Miller's writing and his ability to wrestle a really huge plot into 351 pages. If Miller makes good on his promise to write more Sheldon in the future, we'll be there to read it.
Our Next Read
For June, we'll be reading this:
Title: Family, Family
Author: Laurie Frankel
Location: Liz's house
 | |||||||
| Gathered round for chat and chewing. |
 | ||
| Vicky provided the lovely cake. Margy provided the lovely venue. |
