Light Fell

Fallenberg is an amazing writer - it seems that translating Hebrew fiction has helped him accomplish a very distinct voice, which borrows influences (and expressions) from both Hebrew and English. Apart from the poetic language, what this novel really wins on is its characters. At the forefront is of course Joseph's struggle between his religion and his love (and the added "bonus" of his homosexuality), which is portrayed with a really fine sensitivity (even though the scenes with him and Rabbi Rosenzweig tend toward the schmaltzy). However, what stands out is Fallenberg's treatment of the five sons and their extreme differences, which he manages to portray not only plausibly but with so much humanity that you do feel like they are real show more people copied onto paper. Does it have a down-side? Yes, the ending is a little deus ex machina with Daniel producing the explanatory letter from Rosenzweig, but for a debut novel, I'll give it two thumbs up and I'll definitely look out for Fallenbergs next novel. show less

Light Fell by Evan Fallenberg is an uneven read about the orthodox character Joseph coming out as a gay man. With too many sideplots involving Joseph’s children, focus drifts. I wish that the fantastic ending made up for the book’s flaws.

Could have been a better told story if the author had focused more on the issue of being gay in Israel, or in the Jewish community rather than a lousy, selfish Dad trying to maintain any connection with the 5 sons he abused, abandoned.