I was sucked in from the beginning. For me, it was almost Homeric, being plunged in medias res, and made Jerusalem in the 40s virtually palpable. As I said above, the Aunt Sonia narration was my least favorite part of the book, as I missed Oz's voice sardonic take on people and events.
And to invoke Virgil in turn, sunt lacrimae rerum, indeed. So much sadness, with the tragedies of that tiny family seen against the background of the infinite tragedy of the Holocaust and the yet-to-be resolved war with the Arabs.
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Originally Posted by fantasyfan
I found the incident when Amos listened to the speech of Begin quite incredible! The "Hero" becomes an unwitting fool because he does not speak the language of his audience. The whole experience leaves the "fiercely nationalistic child" open to deeper considerations which we find in the discussion with Ephraim.
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This event, and the one where he crushed the foot of the Arab boy! The immediacy of the retelling was excruciating. I can't think of two better examples of Finagle's Law. But both experiences deepened and matured him, as he lived and relived them--very unlike the time he saw his father with another woman, something he immediately repressed and then repressed again, for years.