A review by kwilson271
Jacob's Folly by Rebecca Miller
4.0
An itinerant Jewish peddler from 17th century France dies and is re-incarnated as a fly in modern Long Island. At first he thinks he's an angel because he has wings, but he is no angel. Quite the contrary.
I loved this book, in part because the extreme suspension of disbelief necessary to read it results in a heavy investment on the reader's part. We tend to love things that we invest heavily, if only to feel better about it. Just when you think no more incredible things can happen, Miller demands that you believe more. I loved it for being outrageous.
My only real criticism of the book is the sudden moralizing turn that it takes at the end, as if the author remembered she has a responsibility to be uplifting at the last minute. It is not necessary for me that flies be redeemed. They can be flies.
I loved this book, in part because the extreme suspension of disbelief necessary to read it results in a heavy investment on the reader's part. We tend to love things that we invest heavily, if only to feel better about it. Just when you think no more incredible things can happen, Miller demands that you believe more. I loved it for being outrageous.
My only real criticism of the book is the sudden moralizing turn that it takes at the end, as if the author remembered she has a responsibility to be uplifting at the last minute. It is not necessary for me that flies be redeemed. They can be flies.