Customer Reviews

The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel

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This novel takes place in Sitka, a temporary Jewish settlement located in Alaska, at the verge of being re-integrated to the USA after 60 years of independence and prosperity. Since there is a quota of Jews that will be naturalized as American citizens after the "Reversion" of Sitka, most of its Jewish population is facing the prospect of deportation. And because the state of Israel was destroyed 1948 only tree months after it was founded, there does not seem to be any future for the Jews of Sitka.

The strength of this novel definitely lies in its setting, which presents to the reader an alternate version of the events that have followed the end of WWII. This very original setting is presented in the course of a police investigation on what at first appears to be a casual case of a murder of a drug addict. The novel also introduces vocabulary that is unique to Sitka Jews, which contributes to the reader's immersion in this unique setting although it does take time to get familiar with it. Although I am quite enthusiastic about the setting of the novel, I can't say that the story itself blew me away. You will find in this story many common stereotypes for police investigators. With all the praises from critics this novel is showing on its cover, I must admit I expected more story-wise.

Seldom will you have an opportunity to read a book that offers so much fine writing, imaginative fancy dropped in lightly to expand your mind, wit, and examples of how we are our own worst enemy by assuming we know what's going on rather than getting the facts. If you are Jewish and know Yiddish, you'll have the extra benefit of many good-humored, self-directed jokes: In places, you'll think you've stepped into a Neil Simon comedy. And there are lots of nods to fine literature throughout the book to keep the serious reader entertained.

To give this book a conventional book review does Mr. Chabon a disservice. How can I best summarize The Yiddish Policemen's Union? Expect the wildly unexpected.

Most novels try to fit tightly into a genre. By following certain conventions, readers have an easier time following what's going on and are soon basking in reflected pleasure from other books they've read in the genre. If you mash together genres instead as Mr. Chabon has done, the results can be chaotic, humorous, and revealing about the flaws in the genres. This book combines so many genres that you'll probably find yourself losing track of how many are referenced in one place or other.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union isn't one of those books that you should read quickly. You should savor each conversational exchange, each scene, and each historical, social, cultural or biblical reference as you might savor a fine wine. Sip slowly, stop, and experience as many flavors as you can.

I have two warnings however.

If you are looking for a book that's exactly like The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, you've been misinformed. The same author is involved, but the two books are quite different.

If you think you are going to read a conventional murder mystery-police procedural, you've set your sights in the wrong direction. Yes, there are crimes, investigations, and mysteries, but they aren't the heart of the book's appeal. If you apply only that lens, you'll probably complain that the second half of the book doesn't work very well. Putting together all those genres means that the murder mystery-police procedural aspect cannot proceed as smoothly as you are accustomed to experiencing.

To me, the book's greatest feature is the variety of ways that Mr. Chabon communicates his ultimate message that redemption is available for us all . . . if we simply get busy and seek redemption.

Enjoy a great read!

I've started to take an interest in some of Chabon's works as to how he develops and equips the protagonist to both survive and flourish in outrageously hostile environments. This recent novel is brilliant example of how a writer can place a seemingly ordinary, everyday person like Landsman, a lapsed Jew, who likes his job as a detective but has just come through a bitter divorce, in the most incongruent of environments, a Hassidic community in Alaska called Sitka. As this group of faithful and focussed Jews awaits the return of the Messiah from on frigid top of the world, theirs is an existence of fastidiously keeping the law and practicing the old customs in readiness for the big event. Chabon includes a host of Hassidic and Yiddish customs in his story to make the point that Sitka is a very parochial Jewish homeland. It is built on orthodox principles for the exclusive accommodation of the Jewish remnant that will survive the Tribulation, which had apparently already happened with the Holocaust and the fictional collapse of Israel in 1948. Outsiders have managed to creep in and take up residence. Into this setting comes Landsman on a mission to solve a double murder involving an old chess master named Lasker and his sister Naomi. To complicate matters, Landsman still works under his ex-wife, who is the chief detective for the territory. His compulsion will force him to violate many cultural boundaries and break many taboos in his zigzagging search for the culprits. Chabon uses the many challenges facing Landsman as opportunities to instruct his reader on the peculiarities of custom and where they possibly lead. As Landsman closes in on his quarry, the reader is treated to some of the darker side of this supposedly monotheistic community awaiting the millennium. Sitka is a composite of the faithful, the secular, the criminal and the non-Jewish. How they handle each other is nothing short of hypocrisy: rules are made to be broken; alliances are forged out of convenience; and favoritism is shown for a price. In all this, the reader is invited to come along on an adventure that will bring out the best in his or her ability to shift gears as Chabon moves from plot to plot, while having a whale of fun into the bargain. I became so engrossed in keeping track of these countless switches in the storyline that I forgot to laugh at some critically comically absurd situations. Never mind! The book is worth a second read just to get the feel for how Chabon harnesses the world of fantasy so that Landsman can endure and overcome the cruel realities of being an outcast by constantly reinventing himself. That's the magic that Chabon brings to his work. With this novel, Chabon has definitely returned to his old brilliance in "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay".

For me, reading this was something like reading a book by Roth (any of his) and something by Chandler (think, his mysteries). The book is definitely a hybrid and starts out similiar to Roth's "The Plot Against America." I guess the Chander slash mystery part explains itself. Chabon, who is known to most for his award-winning "The Amazing Adventures," doesn't disappoint in this quirky mystery. BUT, you don't have to be Jewish to understand or appreciate this work. Set in various setting, including Alaska ("The Frozen Chosen") this book never lets up its pace and you'll be flipping those pages faster than you can say "Another Pulitzer-Prize." A mixture of black humor and angst, it is also reminniscent of books such as Foer's "Everything is Illuminated," or McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood," though the latter is set in the South and has nothing to do with Jewishness.

For those who might possibly be scared off by the subject matter, let me assure you, the writing is first-rate and accessible to anyone with a brain. Must also recommend to you his first book: THE AMAZING ADVENTURES and the novel MIDDLESEX by Eugenides.

said the words out loud those who had assumed Yiddish was a language of the past only, suddenly felt it had been revived. . . . It seemed to be saying `khbin nisht vos ikh bin amol geven. I am not what I once was. Ober `khbin nisht geshtorbn. Ikh leb. But I did not die. I live." Irena Klepfisz.

Yiddish is certainly not dead in Michael Chabon's "The Yiddish Policemen's Union". In fact, the primary language of Jews throughout the "Pale of Settlement" (where Jews were allowed to live in Imperial Russia) suffuses this book with the rich aroma of a language whose every word can take on a paragraph or even chapter of meaning in the hands of the right speaker. Chabon is one such speaker (or writer) and "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" is a book that is rich in enjoyment.

"The Yiddish Policemen's Union" is an artful blend of genres, a blend of crime fiction and alternate history. I think of it as a blend of Dashiell Hammett's dark crime stories like "Red Harvest" and Philip Roth's alternate-history novel "The Plot Against America".

Chabon has created a world in which there is no Israel. Rather, Israel had been crushed in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Since that time the United States, partly as a result of guilt over the Holocaust has created a temporary homeland for displaced European Jews in and around Sitka, Alaska. Yiddish, not Hebrew, is the primary language. As the book opens, close to 60-years after the end of Israel, Sitka is due to revert back to U.S. control and the million or so inhabitants face the prospect of being stateless refugees. The hero, or protagonist, is Detective Meyer Landsman. Like one of Dashiell Hammett's characters he is a flawed, down-on-his luck cop with nothing much going for him except a strong sense of right and wrong and a personal integrity of the highest order. He is a drunk, he is divorced (and his ex-wife is his commanding office) and he lives in a flea-bag hotel. He is awakened out of something of a stupor and told a murder has been committed in the hotel.

It does not quite do Chabon's book justice to say that the story line is primarily that of Landsman's investigation into the murder of this stranger in his fleabag hotel. That is certainly how the book plays out. However, that is simply the structure of the book. As in Hammett, there is a murder in a town filled with greed and corruption and the path Landsman must walk is filled with hurdles and hidden minefields. As in Roth, the story of Landsman (which in itself is a Yiddish word that may be roughly translated as fellow countryman) is the story of a people set adrift and apart. It is a story of a people bobbing in a sea without an anchor, without a homeland. It is poignant but, ironically, it is poignancy without the schmaltz.

Chabon's writing, like Yiddish itself, is rich and thick with meaning. But more importantly, it is both funny and thoughtful. The barbs and insults and sarcasm with which the characters express their fondness for each other and their scorn and loathing is, in my opinion, dead-solid perfect. As I read "Yiddish Policemen's Union" I could envision the body language and sense the arched eyebrows or sneers on the lips of the characters as words come tumbling out of their mouths in a torrent.

Although I won't say anything to reveal the plot, I think Chabon shows excellent pace and timing in developing the plot. He neither rushes to expose too many details too soon nor leaves everything to a summary revelation at the book's climax. Chabon keeps the pot boiling and that kept me turning page after page after page long after I should have turned out the lights for the night.

One slight cautionary note: I grew up in a Queens, New York neighborhood at a time when Yiddish words and expressions were sprinkled liberally throughout every conversation both in my family's apartment and throughout my neighborhood. However, if you don't have any prior experience with Yiddish I suggest going on line and keeping a Yiddish-English web page handy if you find you have any difficulty with the odd word or phrase. Ultimately the pleasures of this book so far outweigh the minimal burden of pondering the occasional strange word. I mention it just so the potential reader is aware in advance that they might see a few words that may not be readily understood by every reader.

I got a great deal of pleasure from reading Michael Chabon's "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" and recommend it heartily. L. Fleisig

I heard a lot about this work and about Micheal Chabon, but I honestly didn't know what to think. On a lark, I decided to give this book a shot and bought it. I am so thankful that I did! The story is great and the characters are compelling. But what really makes this book amazing is the language. The sheer use of words and their play is what made this book great for me. While not a perfect comparison, I felt the same joy reading this book as I did the first time I read Hemingway. This work made me laugh and shudder in turns. I highly recommend this book!

This is simply too good a book to capture or appreciate in a review. It's written on so many levels: police mystery, political and religious intrigue, human interest, alternative history, astonishing dialogue.
One thing for sure -- it's not what you'd expect.
A superbly entertaining read that I, for one, will want to read again.

The story revolves around the idea that part of Alaska has been ceded to the dispossessed Jews after WWII on the stipulation that during the next sixty years they have to find a permanent homeland elsewhere. The story starts just as the lease is about to expire with the introduction of Meyer Landsman, a Jewish cop, with a poor reputation of living on vodka and cigarettes in a flophouse. When a body is discovered in the same hostel, against all odds and with the political clock ticking loudly he makes it his mission to solve the murder and regain respect.

This traditional police story is written around Jewish customs and culture that makes it exceptional. The plot is extremely complex, the text is sprinkled with Yiddish words, and the humour has a Yiddish flavour full of wisecracks. However, much of the flavour could be missed and is hard to understand by those not extremely familiar with the Jewish way of life. It was not an easy read and quite frustrating, it was like reading a book in an unfamiliar language, always wondering how much or what am I missing.