Bookworm
Jonathan Safran Foer: Here I Am
The hero of Here I Am is a pun-loving television writer who is pummeled by the loss of everything he values. This novel expands a family crisis into a global crisis which threatens the state of Israel.
By Michael Silverblatt • • 29m ListenJacob, 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.
