The Gates of the Forest: A Novel

This is typical Elie Wiesel: one part maudlin, one part profound. You expect to hear the roof fiddler in the background as you read. Here we follow Gregor, a sullen, unlikable character as he passes through four stages from Holocaust to Hasidic Brooklyn. First he hides out in a cave, meeting a mysterious stranger who may or may not be an angel. Next he hides out with his family's Christian...more

This is typical Elie Wiesel: one part maudlin, one part profound. You expect to hear the roof fiddler in the background as you read. Here we follow Gregor, a sullen, unlikable character as he passes through four stages from Holocaust to Hasidic Brooklyn. First he hides out in a cave, meeting a mysterious stranger who may or may not be an angel. Next he hides out with his family's Christian housekeeper in her village posing as a deaf-mute. He's made to play the role of Judas in a passion play; chaos ensues. Then he's with the Partisans in the woods, falling in love with his childhood friend's girl; tragedy ensues. Finally, after the war, he visits singing Hasids in Brooklyn; confusion ensues. All the Christians in this book are morally ugly, the Jews morally profound. Despite the staged scenes, there are some interesting meditations about the injustice of God. Best of all, Wiesel answers the problem of evil with ritual. When the world doesn’t make sense, lift your voice, tell stories.   hide