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A review by emjay2021
The Lost Shtetl by Max Gross
4.0
This is a book unlike any other I've read. It is about a shtetl (small Jewish village) in Poland that falls out of contact with the outside world for over a hundred years. Due to a rather improbable set of circumstances, the inhabitants are rediscovered by the modern world in the 21st century and a series of fish-out-of-water scenarios ensue.
It's a situation that allows for comedy, but this isn't just a comedic novel. It is also a serious book that touches on topics like the Holocaust, domestic abuse and human trafficking. I think the book operates as a fable over which the author can lay metaphors for Holocaust denial and modern-day antisemitism.
Gross is a good writer and I was quite engaged by the book. Every once in a while I did feel the story lagged slightly. I felt it was a bit too long and the story suffered a little from the jumping around in time and from place to place. However, overall it is an interesting and original premise, and I am glad I read it.
It's a situation that allows for comedy, but this isn't just a comedic novel. It is also a serious book that touches on topics like the Holocaust, domestic abuse and human trafficking. I think the book operates as a fable over which the author can lay metaphors for Holocaust denial and modern-day antisemitism.
Gross is a good writer and I was quite engaged by the book. Every once in a while I did feel the story lagged slightly. I felt it was a bit too long and the story suffered a little from the jumping around in time and from place to place. However, overall it is an interesting and original premise, and I am glad I read it.