What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I almost never connect with short story collections the way I do with novels, but these stories really stood out to me. Englander consistently probes similar themes--Jewish identities in the United States, the meaning and the future of Israel, Jewish assimilation, the tension between cultural and religious identities--while nonetheless writing stories that feel distinct from each other. It was a delight to begin each story and discover how different it was from those that preceded it, while still connecting the thematic dots of the collection as a whole.The intelligence, humor, and emotional honesty with which Englander explores these themes opened me up to greater reflection. Although his stories were mostly set in very specific worlds that are very different from my own, I felt that the specificity and candor of stories reflected the questions that he was asking about himself back to me, and what they meant to me. I’d read the occasional Nathan Englander story before in magazines and anthologies, but nothing prepared me for the enormous range, depth and maturity of the eight stories in this superb collection.Englander takes on big issues – anti-Semitism, the Israeli settlements, avenging the Holocaust – but always from an unexpected angle and with a fresh, authentic voice. These tales offer up urgent, morally complex questions about how to live in the world and the ways stories affect us. There’s a Kafkaesque parable; a moving historical saga; a postmodern experiment about writing and autobiography; an erotic romp that takes a surreal turn. The title story, inspired by Raymond Carver’s classic What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, is a very funny but also serious look at trust, Jewish identity and, yes, love.These stories will linger in my imagination. I look forward to revisiting them and checking out his other two books.
What do You think about What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank (2012)?
altalenante: alcuni racconti sono più riusciti di altri
—Felicia
Just didn't resonate with me on any of the stories
—Holly
couldn't really get into it, didn't like the style
—48lavender
Well-written although I myself was not engaged.
—vickyanime
Quirky, unexpected, and totally engaging.
—musthavesubs
