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A review by ginabyeg
My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
3.0
Typically, any book on Goodreads with an average rating over 4 stars is a pretty safe bet. However, this novel left me feeling underwhelmed. I did not find Chaim Potok to be a strong writer. First, the narration is redundant and banal. "I did this. Then I went here. It looked like this. Then I went there. And I did that." I lost track of how many times it was mentioned that he used the bathroom in the middle of the night. I also feel like the author had a goal for every character to say the name "Asher" at least once per page.
The book is supposed to be this story of tension between Asher and his parents as he creates art, which is apparently a disgrace to the Jewish tradition. However, there is not enough backstory to fully understand the Jewish beliefs around art. The parents are upset and angry without really knowing the full context. It just seems ridiculous. And due to the redundant narration, the story is devoid of sufficient emotion to make the end really come together in a powerful way.
I wanted to see how it turned out, and I was hoping something would change in the writing style, but I would not be worse off without this book.
The book is supposed to be this story of tension between Asher and his parents as he creates art, which is apparently a disgrace to the Jewish tradition. However, there is not enough backstory to fully understand the Jewish beliefs around art. The parents are upset and angry without really knowing the full context. It just seems ridiculous. And due to the redundant narration, the story is devoid of sufficient emotion to make the end really come together in a powerful way.
I wanted to see how it turned out, and I was hoping something would change in the writing style, but I would not be worse off without this book.