Natasha and Other Stories

“Because who wins if a Jew doesn’t go to synagogue?
I’ll tell you who:  Hitler.” — p. 133

This collection of stories by David Bezmozgis is about a Latvian Jewish family who emigrate to Toronto, Canada.  It was a NYT Notable Book in 2004.

Mark is the only child of Roman and Bella Berman.  All seven stories in the collection feature Mark in his growing up years.  First, I’ll give a brief synopsis of each story and then my thoughts on the collection as a whole.

• “Tapka” — It’s 1980 and Mark has been in Canada for 3 weeks.  He’s in the first grade and hangs out with his cousin Jana.  Some elderly neighbors have a dog that they idolize, and they begin to trust Mark and Jana to take care of it.
• “Roman Berman, Massage Therapist”  – Mark’s father works at a chocolate factory but is also studying to become qualified as a massage therapist. He hopes an important doctor in the neighborhood will be a source for referrals.
• “The Second Strongest Man” — Sergei, a very important person from the Bermans’ past, comes to Canada for a wrestling tournament.
• “An Animal to the Memory” — Mark begins to have trouble with his classmates and the principal, particularly on Holocaust Day.
• “Natasha” — Mark and Natasha, the daughter of his uncle’s wife, become close friends.
• “Choynski” — Mark deals with the deaths of two people who are close to him.
• “Minyan” — Mark’s grandfather looks for a place to live.

This is one of the best short story collections I’ve read.  All seven stories were unique, but they all fit together nicely to explore Mark’s experiences.  Although I thought all of the stories were extremely good, I thought “The Second Strongest Man” and “An Animal to the Memory” were the strongest.  If an author can make me interested in a story about wrestling, he is very good indeed. I could really feel the menace, the frustration, and the envy of the characters come through the pages.  And in “An Animal to the Memory,” the author’s depiction of Mark’s turmoil as he comes to terms with his Jewish heritage was very well done.

Highly recommended, especially for those with an interest in Jewish, Soviet/Russian, or Canadian literature.

2004, 147 pp.

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