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A review by slow_spines
Foreskin's Lament by Shalom Auslander
funny
lighthearted
3.5
Shalom Auslander is a very reluctant theist. He is a man at war with God, determined to win or die trying. Foreskins Lament is a puffed up account of his life, charting his youth as an orthodox Jew to his adulthood as a begrudging, reluctant Jew. And it is frequently hilarious.
Auslander is an excellent writer, he is clearly comfortable with language and its rules and employs a range of grammatical devices to make situations pop. The narrative itself is script-like, roving around like a directors lens. The dialogue is fun and profane, and though many of the characters come and go, they are given substance through their recurring needs and actions. Theyre broken records playing the same suffocating tune: obey, repent, observe.
The overriding message is that an angry God begets angry followers, and no one is angrier than Auslander. Angry at his angry family. Angry at the absurdity of being orthodox in the face of life's inherent absurdity. Angry at the God who seemingly controls every aspect of his life - a God who either fucks with him, or, permits good things to happen so that he can fuck him harder down the line. Angry at himself for not being able to shake this paradoxical belief and properly free himself.
This doesn't reach the same heights as Auslanders later works (Hope is the funniest novel I've read, and more thoughtful too), but it is perhaps unfair to compare an older novel with its younger sibling. Absolutely worth a read if you're looking for something light and profane. And with a title like this, a perfect read for the train.
Auslander is an excellent writer, he is clearly comfortable with language and its rules and employs a range of grammatical devices to make situations pop. The narrative itself is script-like, roving around like a directors lens. The dialogue is fun and profane, and though many of the characters come and go, they are given substance through their recurring needs and actions. Theyre broken records playing the same suffocating tune: obey, repent, observe.
The overriding message is that an angry God begets angry followers, and no one is angrier than Auslander. Angry at his angry family. Angry at the absurdity of being orthodox in the face of life's inherent absurdity. Angry at the God who seemingly controls every aspect of his life - a God who either fucks with him, or, permits good things to happen so that he can fuck him harder down the line. Angry at himself for not being able to shake this paradoxical belief and properly free himself.
This doesn't reach the same heights as Auslanders later works (Hope is the funniest novel I've read, and more thoughtful too), but it is perhaps unfair to compare an older novel with its younger sibling. Absolutely worth a read if you're looking for something light and profane. And with a title like this, a perfect read for the train.