See Under: LOVE

David Grossman's book See Under: LOVE makes for uneven reading. It's divided into 4 sections. The first section, titled "Momik," is brilliant. From inside the mind of a boy named Momik, we learn about the Holocaust. Momik is growing up in Jerusalem, surrounded by damaged adults whose arms have mysterious numbers, and who talk in a kind of code about what they remember from "over there." He constantly tries to figure out what happened, and becomes isolated and desperate as he feels he must fight the Nazi "beast." I felt as if I understood the Israeli experience in a new way, as I read this painful story.

The next two chapters don't in my mind live up to the promise of the first section, especially the one titled "Bruno" which is a kind of reverie about Polish author Bruno Schulz. For one thing, I've read Shulz's work, and I view him as overrated and hyped. Grossman is entitled to his opinion, of course, and no doubt has a superior ability to judge, but still, I don't like this type of fictional ressurection of the author -- who died in 1942 at the hands of the Nazis. No matter about Shulz, I also didn't like the switch from the literary style of the first section -- internal monologue from a child's point of view -- to the second, which was kind of phantasmagoric; it seems to be written a sort of alter-ego of the author/Momik grown up. His life, Shulz's life, made up life... maybe it's too meta-something for me.

Near the end there's a clue to all the meta stuff, maybe:

"Across the empty pages of the notebook in which the story was to be written, a single word flashed through the sleepless night: BEWARE. But of what was he supposed to beware? And to what end had he built a fortress around himself so adeptl all these years? Mama and Papa never said. They left an order: Beware. So you'll survive. ANd later when all the wars are over, there will be time to sit and talk about the full implications of the life you guarded so fiercely."

I didn't really like the third section either, which is even more meta. It's an imaginary conversation or encounter between a Jewish victim and a concentration camp official, going back to some of the same characters. I didn't think it succeeded nearly as well as "Momik," either. Finally, it ends with Kazik, a baby who lives and grows by years for every minute of his life. Again, phantasmagoric.

Finally the last section, "The Complete Encyclopedia of Kazik's Life," is an alphabetical list of Hebrew words with definitions and stories about Kazik, other characters, and abstract terms. Even more meta.

Unfortunately the work is a translation, and the order of entries in the "Encyclopedia" builds significantly. Thus the translation into English has to be in Hebrew alphabetical order. So "See under:" always refers to an English word, but you can't go look for it unless you know the Hebrew original word. This is very confusing and I think disrupts the author's purpose, if I have any idea what his purpose was. It seems like a totally different type of writing also from each of the other sections.

Do I sound like a clueless reader? I think that's what I am. Sorry.