Unusual fiction about a Jewish professor, Rueben Blum, hosting Benzion Netanyahu (a real person) and his family while he was interviewing for a position at Corbin College in New York in the 1960s. It is a combination of Jewish history and over-the-top storytelling using satire and parody. It becomes clear that Cohen is no fan of Netanyahu. The reasons are explained in the narrative. It is also pretty humorous in places. I decided to read it after it won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It is well-written. I found myself puzzled by what the author was trying to say and concluded that I probably do not have the right background to fully appreciate it.
Unusual fiction about a Jewish professor, Rueben Blum, hosting Benzion Netanyahu (a real person) and his family while he was interviewing for a position at Corbin College in New York in the 1960s. It is a combination of Jewish history and over-the-top storytelling using satire and parody. It becomes clear that Cohen is no fan of Netanyahu. The reasons are explained in the narrative. It is also pretty humorous in places. I decided to read it after it won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It is well-written. I found myself puzzled by what the author was trying to say and concluded that I probably do not have the right background to fully appreciate it.