The Free World: A Novel (2011)

I thought this book was a particularly interesting take on the experience of Latvian and Russian Jews who survived WWII and their children who do not want to live in either the Soviet Union or in Israel. The book spans quite a few decades and works on both remembrances of the grandfather and the experiences of his children.

There is a great deal in this book about religion and the experience of trying to immigrate to the US, Australia, or Canada which the main characters are trying to do and the struggle of being turned away and being in a state of flux or moratorium, which occurs when they find themselves in Rome waiting and trying to be accepted into the country of their choice. There is some desperation that feels very realistic, crime, and also a sense of being unwanted, especially when one has a history of illness and might be seen as a burden to a country. In addition, there is a little bit about feminism or at least the female experience is included, though definitely not to the extent as the male one but it still balances it somewhat. This novel also delves into communism and perspectives of these Jewish characters on Stalin a bit as well as Begin and the peace process in Israel. They have interesting viewpoints and considering that Bezmozgis is a Latvian Jew who immigrated to Canada, one can't help but feel the legitimacy in the way that he represents these viewpoints and characters overall.

I will say the one thing that really detracted me from the storyline I was most interested in learning from, however, was the side plots about infidelity. I was wondering if Bezmozgis was trying to use this as a metaphor for some of the characters who were Jewish but did not want to live in Israel or had lived in Israel and left...as in one being unfaithful to one's nation in a way but it didn't really come across strongly enough if this was what he was going for. Instead, it made the novel seem a little unfocused and I would have rather he devoted those pages to more about the struggle in terms of politics and religion.

Also, I would strongly recommend reading Natasha by Bezmozgis...I remember liking it even more.


Memorable quotes:

pg 78 "I tell you, if I worshiped the sun, we'd all end up in the dark."

pg. 149 "In the end, every corpse has the same face: your own."

pg. 185 "She looked to have what Olya had had-beauty like a long blade, carelessly held."

pg. 260 "But I'm his mother. Men believe they have secrets only because women pretend that they don't know."

pg. 269 "The name is from the Bible, which some of them claim to have read. As a work of literature, it's gotten mixed reviews. Our mailman says that God was no Tolstoy."

pg. 277 "I'm not looking for perfection. So far I've been a citizen of two utopias. Now I have modest expectations. Basically, I want the country with the fewest parades." ( )

F Bezmozgis

A story of a family’s attempts to emigrate from Latvia, first to the USA, then to Canada when that becomes more promising and the long period of waiting in Rome for the paperwork to be processed. Through the Krasnansky family, comprised of three generations of Soviet Jews, we learn about the difficulties of leaving a country, which while not ideal, still holds great place and loyalty in the minds and hearts of each member, particularly Samuil, the patriarch who as a dedicated Communist fought with the Red Army and saw his parents murdered by the czar’s army. Karl and Alec the two sons take full advantage of the new opportunities being offered despite the poverty and limited accommodation which they face in Rome, with Karl moving to the more criminal side of capitalism. Alec uses the system, his charisma good looks and playboy moves to manipulate the system; while his wife Polina represents the person who has lost her relationships as well as her roots through the move. Well written informative and sometimes disturbing, this is a good read. ( )

The book tells the story of the Krasnansky family, Latvian Jews moored for five months in Rome in 1978 as they await visas to migrate to North America. The main characters are Samuil, the family patriarch and autocratic doctrinaire Communist; Karl, the eldest son and pragmatic capitalist-in-the-making; Alec, the second son and apolitical, carefree playboy; and Polina, Alec's long-suffering Gentile wife. Differences in political and religious ideologies inevitably result in domestic tensions.

The various family members must deal with dislocation and nostalgia, and the promises and perils of life in the free world. While facing uncertainty about their future, they must eke out a subsistence with their own activities, both honest and dishonest, and the help of refugee organizations. Through flashbacks, the reader learns each person's individual history and motivations for deciding to abandon life in the Soviet Union. None are idealistic or very admirable emigrants; most are self-interested or confused; they find themselves caught up in the absurdist underworld of emigration where they are encouraged to fabricate or embellish tales of persecution in order to get permanent asylum in the free world.

As I read, I found myself disagreeing strongly with the many glowing reviews the book has received. The characters left me cold; they seem to be representatives of specific ideologies rather than human beings. Their lifelessness may be appropriate to their living in a bureaucratic limbo, but it precludes the reader from having any emotional connection with them.

In terms of plot, the book drones on and on, and I kept plowing through hoping something would happen. Perhaps the author was trying to convey the pointlessness of the lives of the emigrants-to-be, but the lack of momentum makes reading a chore. Only in the last quarter of the novel does anything of consequence transpire. Structurally, the book is not a cohesive whole; rather, it is a series of vignettes loosely stitched together.

Another caveat: there is little background explanation so the reader is expected to know a great deal about both Jewish and Soviet history. A knowledge of Czarism, Bolshevism, Zionism, and Fascism is needed, especially since the name-dropping in the book is not restricted to just the most well-known leaders of the various political movements. At times I was left wondering whether the author had a specific intended audience of which I was not a member. Complete dialogues in Italian - untranslated - may have been intended to convey to the reader the language difficulties of the emigres, but they also needlessly frustrate the reader who may infer an attitude of superiority on the part of the author.

Readers interested in the theme of exile and aspirations or in the Jewish immigrant story should look elsewhere. It is a story worthy of telling, but Bezmozgis' attempt to tell it has not proved worthy.