Robert M. (shotokanchef) reviewed on 7/21/2009 + 813 more book reviews

Yakov Bok is a Jew in Czarist Russia in the early years of the 20th century. It is during the time of the pogroms. Never having any luck, when his wife deserts him for a goy is moves to the big city. There his luck, even when it seems to be changing, goes from poor to as bad as it gets. He is accused of the ritual murder of a young boy. The author weaves masterfully the circumstances leading to his arrest. Most of the novel concerns his incarceration and the injustice of a justice system in a time fraught with prejudice, ambition, and corruption. The details of his imprisonment are so degrading and graphic that it would seem that the author has based it on personal experience. Be prepared for a surprise ending. Or is there a surprise, or even an ending? You be the judge.

The book contains well-written prose, except for some sentences that end with prepositions. But, is this the author, or some college-educated editor who insists on ignoring the old rule that a preposition is not a good word to end a sentence with. Evidently this no longer matters in modern grammar usage as college textbooks and writing manuals have long since eliminated any reference to this rule.

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