Kristen's review of The World to Come: A Novel
The World to Come: A Novel by Dara Horn
I can't believe I almost passed on this book. The first thirty or so pages didn't really connect with me, so I went over here and checked out the reviews. Easily, 90% of them were 4 or 5 starts. Okay. I continued.
And couldn't put the book down.
It focuses mainly on Ben, but also explores his family's history, be it in a Jewish orphanage in Moscow, to his father's experiences in Vietnam, and to his own twin sister, Sara. And it also focuses, briefly, upon the Russian artist Chagall and the horrors that were inflicted upon many writers and artists in communist Russia, particularly to those who were Jewish.
Mythology plays a large role as well, and I love the of the 'not-yet's: children, babies really, who haven't been born yet. That during the nine months that they're in the womb, they're learning everything about the world, only to find that, right before being born, an angel touches their lips (leaving that indentation beneath the nose) and that causes them to forget everythi...more
And couldn't put the book down.
It focuses mainly on Ben, but also explores his family's history, be it in a Jewish orphanage in Moscow, to his father's experiences in Vietnam, and to his own twin sister, Sara. And it also focuses, briefly, upon the Russian artist Chagall and the horrors that were inflicted upon many writers and artists in communist Russia, particularly to those who were Jewish.
Mythology plays a large role as well, and I love the of the 'not-yet's: children, babies really, who haven't been born yet. That during the nine months that they're in the womb, they're learning everything about the world, only to find that, right before being born, an angel touches their lips (leaving that indentation beneath the nose) and that causes them to forget everythi...more
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