April 22, 2017 I WONDER IF I TAKE YOU HOME

Remember when you were young and staying up until 3:00 a.m. was as normal as brushing your teeth?? I SURE DO. We'd be out until some UNGODLY hour--grab 2-3 hours of sleep--go to work--set the repeat button and do it all over again. WHEW--Those days are LONG gone. I stayed up til midnight last night and felt like I got hit by a bus this morning.  I was exhausted when I dragged my sorry self out of bed--determined to go for a run. It wasn't pretty believe me. Wanted to get in a long one but that will have to wait until tomorrow--5 miles felt like a marathon today. I could barely get out of my own way. It was WELL worth it though as it was for book club. Probably never mentioned this before, but I belong to a book club. We get together about once a month and have for about 12 years. We have been through a lot together--babies, teenagers, marriages, death-- we weather it all and try to support each other as best we can. We are all very different--sometimes our personalities and ideas clash but we make it work because we respect each other and genuinely care about each other. So last night, I was enjoying the company of my book club buddies--making merry--letting off some steam and that's all I can say because WHAT HAPPENS AT BOOK CLUB STAYS AT BOOK CLUB--it's our motto and I'm sticking to it. Leo Gursky also sticks to his promise made 60 years earlier in Nicole Krauss's wonderful novel of 2005 The History of Love. 

First of all, I must confess that it took me a LONG time to read this novel because I hated the title. It sounded so cliche that I was turned off. Thankfully, I got over myself and read this unforgettable book. It's on my bookshelf as one that I will most certainly read again. This beautifully written novel seamlessly alternates three different storylines that ultimately fuse together by the end of the book. It's the story of a book written before the Holocaust--lost for several generations--that reappears and is mysteriously connected to Leo Gursky, an old man living in New York City. Leo survived the Holocaust by hiding in the forest for three years before making his way to the United States only to find that his soul mate is married to someone else. It's also the story of a 15 year old girl named Alma who is named after the main character in the missing book. She is trying to keep her family together after the death of her father. Her mother is sad and withdrawn living in her own world as a translator of books. Her brother, Bird, is living in his own world too as he believes that he is the Messiah and is totally out of touch with reality. This book explores the reality of  war,  lost love, broken promises, loneliness and the written word that ultimately draws them all together. It's also a story of  hope,  the power of human connection and  our need to be remembered by future generations. This lovely gem is about 250 pages--maybe a 5 mile run. It's a journey of about 70 years that is both heartbreaking and beautiful.