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A review by jkbartlett
The Fixer by Bernard Malamud
4.0
To keep the review short- a great work of conflict- internally within Yakov Bok, the book's main character, and externally between the persecuted Jewish population in Russia and the Russians agents (from the czar to politicians, jail guards and wardens, prosecutors, and accusers of false claims).
Yakov Bok is falsely accused of killing a young boy and doing so as a religious ritual of the Jewish faith.
It makes no difference that Yakov Bok is a Spinoza admirer and free thinker rather loosely tied to his heritage, a man who is condemned only by hearsay, or a fixer by trade whose only real crime was falsifying his name in order to receive work. In a powerful moment near the end of the novel, Bok's lawyer claims that the essential torture wasn't about Yakov Bok. It could have been any Jew and in fact Bok indeed represents in the eyes of his society every Jew.
It's not for the faint of heart who would prefer to avoid very graphic details about life in a Russian prison. It isn't for those who expect a glass half-full- indeed the most sympathetic characters go down with the proverbial ship.
The Fixer is critically acclaimed as Malamud's best work and earned him a Pulitzer Prize. I was surprised only in that it doesn't read like a book made for a wide audience. It's a great work by a great author. Tread carefully. Have a few drinks. Buckle up. Read.
Yakov Bok is falsely accused of killing a young boy and doing so as a religious ritual of the Jewish faith.
It makes no difference that Yakov Bok is a Spinoza admirer and free thinker rather loosely tied to his heritage, a man who is condemned only by hearsay, or a fixer by trade whose only real crime was falsifying his name in order to receive work. In a powerful moment near the end of the novel, Bok's lawyer claims that the essential torture wasn't about Yakov Bok. It could have been any Jew and in fact Bok indeed represents in the eyes of his society every Jew.
It's not for the faint of heart who would prefer to avoid very graphic details about life in a Russian prison. It isn't for those who expect a glass half-full- indeed the most sympathetic characters go down with the proverbial ship.
The Fixer is critically acclaimed as Malamud's best work and earned him a Pulitzer Prize. I was surprised only in that it doesn't read like a book made for a wide audience. It's a great work by a great author. Tread carefully. Have a few drinks. Buckle up. Read.