"J"

The title is what initially caught my attention for this book. "J". Such a simple unassuming letter. I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I picked up "J", by Howard Jacobson. I don't even know where to begin to tell you about it. Imagine living in a world where history doesn't really exist. You don't know who your ancestors are, you don't know much about the past, most people don't even know their real last names. There are a bunch of 'unwritten laws' that everyone follows - don't ask too many questions, don't read the wrong kind of books, don't keep any heirlooms, etc. You are expected to live every day as if everything is normal, and you have to say sorry to everyone.

This is what life is like for Kevern and Ailinn. They both try to live their lives unnoticed, without realizing that they have actually been watched for quiet a while. Forces seemingly beyond their own thrust them together and they find peace and comfort in each others quirks and superstitions. Towards the end they receive some information that turns their world upside down and forces them to make some tough decisions.

This book was confusing from beginning to end. After reading the whole thing and looking at it in retrospect, it makes a lot more sense. While reading it, however, I felt lost most of the time. The characters blurred together throughout the story and I had to keep rereading to make sure that I was thinking of the right person. I wonder if the author meant to be vague, thinking that the confusion would add to the story in a way. I suppose it does, the characters lives are filled with so much confusion and uncertainty and the reader really gets pulled in to that. It's really genius in it's own way. Genius or not, I did not enjoy this book. I fell in love with the main characters, but I didn't like the setting that the author wrote them in. This book will make the gears in your head turn and you will probably get confused and lost while reading it, but you just might enjoy it regardless. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you are in for some deep reading that will require your full attention. 3 out of 5 stars.

I received my copy of this book from Blogging for Books for this review. If you want to read "J" for yourself, you can get it here. Let me know what you think!