bittersweet

I just finished reading this book: The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon (pronounced Shea as in stadium and bon as in Bon Jovi). Chabon has been my favorite novelist since I finished his brilliant homage to writer's block that is Wonder Boys, also a terrific movie starring Michael Douglas, Toby MacGuire, and Francis McDormand. The book, a straight ahead detective mystery, is at times historical fiction, humor and romance and extremely enjoyable to read. Chabon is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and none of his masterful structure and syntax is sacrificed for a mystery but rather demands the book be read at a pace where both the writing and the details of the plot can both be enjoyed simultaneously. This is first rate fiction and modern literature by one of the best contemporary writers around.

The book while set in the present day centers around a little known piece of American history. During World War 2, the American government devised a plan to create a temporary settlement in the Alaskan panhandle for the millions of Jews worldwide who were being forced from their homes. This was called Sitka and while this obviously never happened the book presupposes that it did. Fast forward to 2007 and 3 million Jews live in Sitka and everyone is facing deportation as the American government is reverting the land back to the state of Alaska. Detective Meyer Landsman finds a man murdered in the the hotel where he presently lives and while the plot never strays from this mystery, the sheer depth, surprise, and intrigue of the story matches no mystery and few books I have ever read. The Yiddish Policemen's Union could have been twice the length of its 400 pages and I would not have cared. I'm almost sorry I finished it.

I hope everyone has a nice week ahead of them. Cheers!