Hara's review
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
This book is based on the clever premise that the State of Israel failed, and a Jewish, Yiddish-speaking district was created in Alaska as a refuge for the stateless, homeless Jews. Chabon conjures up a dirty, gray, grim Jewish world in Alaska that is running out of time. There is some great writing here, a sweet-sour humor, a heap of despair, and lots of fun word plays. Yet the book felt overbearingly macho and superficial. Part noire gumshoe detective homage, part universal Jewish story of endless exile, this testosterone-fueled, energy packed novel lacks, with a few notable exceptions, depth and character development. The plot only kicks in about halfway through.
