A review by shalms
Enemies: A Love Story by Isaac Bashevis Singer

4.0

I read a review of Enemies that noted the significance of shards in the Kabbalah and that it is a simile for Herman’s and the other characters’ shattered lives. That is the perfect simile indeed for the book. Even transplanted to New York City, the characters, especially perhaps Herman, still find a world that is in pieces, that makes no sense post-Holocaust. In fact, even what they find in prosperous, post-war America is senseless to them in its freedom--not freedom in its positive sense but in its lack of a moral, religious framework. Ultimately, Herman’s sense of meaninglessness is what lies at the heart of this book, despite an ending that allows for a small glimmer of light.