May 15, 2008
Book review: Janice Eidus' "The War of the Rosens"
Whenever I write a book review, I try to come up with a catchy lede. The idea is to lure you in so that you'll read all the way to the end and I will have communicated my point about this or that subject. Don't ask me why but I get a smug satisfaction whenever I realize someone has read something I've written. It's even better if they enjoyed reading it.
As you may have guessed by now, I've had some trouble coming up with something catchy for Janice Eidus' novel, “The War of the Rosens.” But don't let that fool you into thinking anything bad — this is a very good book and one of the most compelling stories I've read in a while.
The action in the novel centers on 10-year-old Emma, an introspective girl growing up in the Bronx in the 1960s. She makes the best of life despite her dysfunctional Jewish family.
Her father, Leo, is an outspoken atheist who owns his own candy store, wears his leftist politics on his sleeve and dreams of writing a great novel. Small things annoy him and he loses his temper almost daily. On occasion, he gets into a fistfights with strangers and he hits his daughters.
He's one of the stronger characters I've come across recently. Not only is he physically confrontational, he's something of an intellectual bully as well. Regardless, it's hard to argue with some of his sentiments. Here's one example:
Despite the old saying to the contrary, there are indeed atheists in foxholes, and he's Exhibit A, with nobody, and nothing, to pray to. Inside, there is an emptiness. But do the truly religious fare any better when their children are ill? They pray to God that their children will recover, and some do, but many don't. Supposedly, God calls those children to “a better place,” “a higher place.” But, by doing so, He has surely, and deliberately, ignored the parents' prayers. Isn't it worse to feel that God has deliberately chosen not to hear you, than to acknowledge that no God exists to hear you?
His wife, Annette, also considers herself an atheist with left-leaning political views. But, she doesn't discuss her ideas on politics very often anymore. Over the years, her husband's domineering personality has shoved Annette's confidence to the floor. The once-loving couple have grown far apart. By the time we meet her, Annette is suffering through life catering to Leo's needs in the kitchen and in the bedroom. Leo demeans her when she fails to live up to his expectations. She suffers migraine headaches and vomits from the stress of her 'doom and gloom' family life.
Emma's older sister, May, is 13 years old. She's an obsessive teenager who dreams of marrying a boy in her class named Marvin Ludwig. The two of them will move to California where Marvin will practice medicine and May will live like her favorite Hollywood star, the glamorous Kim Novak.
As much as May's love for Marvin is an obsession, so is her hatred of Emma. She can be cruel to her younger sister and lashes out at her in terrible fits. She also is hypercritical of her mother.
This is one of those 'life observed' types of novels. We learn about ourselves by watching the characters and Eidus excels at creating compelling characters. She does it gracefully and that's why I've spent most of this review talking about the Rosen family.
It's quite a feat to write a novel about a 10-year-old girl. There are not many authors who could do it. But, Eidus did it well. She should enjoy some smug satisfaction knowing she got me to read all the way to the end.
And, I enjoyed it.
“The War of the Rosens” is published by Behler Publications (232 pages).
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I enjoyed this post, Steve, and in fact, it has me wanting to read the book. I will check it out.
i always enjoy your feedback, JewWishes. thanks.