In 1906, a fourteen-year-old Jewish boy tries to save small children from the wrath of a drunken bully. The man is killed by accident, and Itzik Leiber is pursued by an angry group bent on revenge. When Itzik hides in a cemetery, the ghost of Freidl Alterman rises to save his life. Childless in life, she promises God she will care for the errant boy.

In 1991, Itzik’s son, Nathan, travels to Poland for a political conference. While there, he visits the town where Itzik was born. He meets Rafael, the last Jew of Zokof, and learns about the ghostly woman who figured in Itzik’s escape. Nathan returns to the United States confused and restless.

In 1992, Itzik’s granddaughter, Ellen, is invited to work with a prestigious Polish dance troupe. During her summer stay, she visits Rafael to learn more about her heritage and Freidl. Raised an atheist, Ellen is confused about her identity as a Jew. She senses her love of dance and music are connected to many unknown aspects of her life, including Freidl, who she comes to admire. Supported by her musician lover, she seeks meaning and rest for a charismatic ghost.

In this, her first novel, Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum writes not only with the voice of a seasoned author, but also with a deep, soulful heart. The stories of Itzik, Nathan, and Ellen are painful, beautiful, and illuminating. Questions raised by the characters will sink into the reader’s spirit in a way rarely accomplished in popular fiction. What does it mean to be a Jew? What does it mean to be a Gentile? What does it mean to deny who you are? These are small beginnings to larger questions.

Beyond the inherent soul-searching, Rosenbaum meets head on the issues of anti-Semitism in today’s world. Americans of Jewish descent often have little idea that walls of hatred and suspicion still exist in places far from the “land of milk and honey.” What we see in the news is abstract until we experience it for ourselves. This is a small part of what Rosenbaum teaches us. But more importantly, she offers hope. A good life is a series of steps taken over roads rough and smooth. Know what lies within your heart and use it, then you will find the strength you need to move on.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
11/03/2006

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