Books October 2013

1. The Slave – Isaac Bashevis Singer

Singer’s The Slave tells the story of a Jewish man, Jacob, sold into slavery by the Cossacks and forced to live in a remote mountain village where he tries to maintain his traditions amid the idolaters and his own desire for Wanda the widowed daughter of his owner. Eventually the two fall in love only to have society, both Jewish and Gentile, spurn them.

It’s a terrific read, by turns beautiful and brutal, that attempts to explain why bad things happen to go...