Since You Left Me

There Will Not Be A Test At the End

First off, please understand that you don't need to be a Torah scholar or a student of Talmudic law to fully enjoy this book. There will not be a quiz about Maimonides at the end. You didn't have to be an Evangelical Christian to get the point of "Rapture Practice", and I'm pretty sure that while Bing Crosby was a Roman Catholic, that didn't figure heavily when he picked up the Academy Award for "Going My Way". There is a lot of Jewish culture and religion in this book, but that's not the point. There's also a lot of Los Angeles in the book, and that's not the point either.

There is a Mother, a Father, a best friend, a girl, life, school, a community, and a very perplexed teen, and that, actually, is the point.

In a review of his book that Allen Zadoff posted elsewhere, he observed that "[This novel] ...encompasses a lot of my experience living in my adopted city of L.A., my complicated relationship with Judaism growing up, and my run-ins with the diverse and occasionally exotic spirituality that is a part of life in this city. " Now, he could have addressed these issues as an adult in an adult oriented book. Maybe that would have been interesting, maybe not. What Zadoff did do was create a brilliantly precocious, observant, funny, confused and endearing young character who is the perfect hero/fool for wrestling with those issues.

This is one of those happy books that appeals to a wide age range. A younger reader can identify with the hero, sympathize with his plight, and enjoy the sometimes rollicking humor. At a certain level young Sanskrit speaks directly to the concerns of younger readers, (Jewish or not). On the other hand, an older reader can filter Sanskrit's thoughts and experiences through a different set of lenses and enjoy and appreciate what the author is trying to accomplish. Either way is a win.

So, you can emphasize what you like in this book - family, questions of faith, abandonment, love, guilt, yearning, lying, belief, the meaning of life, heartache, responsibility, hope, the dangers of yoga - it's all there. And it's there for all readers, and there in the most entertaining, appealing, engaging and generously good-hearted fashion imaginable. A nice find.

Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.