Jonathan Safran Foer: Here I Am

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Jacob, the hero of the powerful novel Here I Am is a pun-loving television writer who imagines writing a show that he completely controls. He even writes instructions about how it should be performed. Jacob and his wife initially envisioned creating a religion for two in their marriage, including rituals borrowed from Judaism. But what they wind up with is nightly bathroom sink-by-sink hygiene rituals. The marriage unravels as they develop different interior lives. As they fail to communicate truthfully, a sadness beyond anger and fear emerges. Jacob is pummeled by the loss of everything he values. This important novel dares to expand its family crisis into a global crisis that threatens the survival of Israel.

Read an excerpt from Here I Am.

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