A review by lindseyzank
Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer

3.0

I did not enjoy this novel as much as Safran Foer’s others that I’ve read but there were many meaningful takeaways for me. He plays around with genre and often blends script writing into a more traditional fiction narrative format. I appreciate the cleverness and intellectual nature of Safran Foer’s writing. He creates a dynamic cast of characters all in the same family and develops tension, resentment, but also deep love between them very well. I could feel how raw and vulnerable, especially the mother/father (Julia/Jacob), the characters were feeling at this time in their lives. The whole story had an oppressive, regretful tone that made me think about the fact that I only have one life and made me ask myself what I plan to do with it so that I don’t get to the end and regret choices I’ve made or how I’ve treated others. The exploration of Jewish and Israeli politics and identity was enlightening, although a little bit heavy-handed for someone who didn’t already know much. I also think the novel was too long; cutting about 100 pages would have made the larger story arc sharper and more focused. The final scene completely gutted me...so many emotions! I’m still a Safran Foer fan in terms of writing but the overall story in this novel wasn’t nearly as memorable to me as his other books.