The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel - Michael Chabon

Ulp !!!

The nicest thing i can say about this one is that Chabom has done better!

This is not a review in the strict sense, but my badly addled mind reacting to a horrible book. I cannot dignify this to be either a novel nor comedy, well written or not.

I accept the basic premise (Israel overrun in 1948 - "alternate history") - which becomes the story line. However, the book is a combination of some the worst stereotypes (and stereotypes of stereotypes) and ugliness pretending to be comedy I've seen in years. I was sick to my stomach. I cannot believe that Chabon is such a self hater... And I will stop there......

Definitely no lightweight

I don't know why I always thought Chabon was sort of a "lightweight" novelist, but I decided to try "Yiddish Policeman`s Union" after reading a good review in "The Economist". I was not disappointed. "Yiddish Policemen`s Union" is a powerful novel. The factors that make it such are: incredibly original and interesting characters, particularly Landsman (the protgonist) and Berko (his partner), but also all the many minor ones that populate the novel; an extraordinarily interesting and original setting in a fictionalized future that yets reads perfectly realistic; fabulous writing, metaphors etc, again, superbly original and surprising; and a really cool plot.

If there is a weakness to the novel it does regard plot: I found the first two thirds of the novel exceptional, but the last third in which more "grandiose" events take place with global geo-political implications was a bit tough to swallow. But the first two thirds which revolve around Landsman and his search for the murderer across a number of rivetting situations was enough to hold my interest through the book and make me a Chabon fan

For readers interested in roughly similar novels with settings in Jewish communities I would highly recommmend Nathan Englunders "The Ministry of Special Cases" (a bit "heavier" and more literary but even more powerful) and Jonathan Safran Froer's "Everything is Illuminated" (which starts out a bit slower but ends with a very emotionally moving denouement)

Chabon's imagination is hard to beat

This book is simply excellent, I couldn't put it down until read through. Chabon's imagination is hard to beat. Yiddish Policemen is just as good as The Amazing Adventures and Wonder Boys. The characters, plot and setting is great, and now we can only hope for the Coen brothers to make a movie out of it as rumoured. Only they could pull it off.

Alternate universe?

I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were unusual, quirky, and well-developed. I loved the images provoked by the speculation that history could have turned out quite differently.

Just for those who are fluent in jiddish and are familiar with jewish customs!

Well, probably everyone reading this knows what the book is about. Also, almost everyone seems to love this book. I don't. In fact I found this book to be almost unreadable, and also failure. The book is supposed to happen in alternative world in Alaska, where jewish people were settled when Israel failed. The Sitka city is supposed to have more than million people. Those things can't been seen in the novel. The city feels like a smallish east European town. The setting in Alaska, the nearness of ocean have practically no effect to the story. The alternative world concept seem very poorly thought out - there are tantalizing glimpses to differences, but that is all there are. There not followed up, they have no significant relation to the plot.

The language is hard to follow, it has an abundance of Yiddish words. The use of those words is horrible selfserving with no real need or meaning. Those words are not only used for characters speech or for such concepts which have no exact meaning in English language, they are also used with no reason at all. For example "elevator" may be sometimes spelled "elevatoro", it can be understood, but why?

The main part of the book and plot also demand a great degree of familiarity with jewish culture and customs. I personally don't have that, and I not much have interest to get one. If you have those qualities, this book might be just and just readable, if you don't those interests, I would recommend: Forget it!