Eleven years after his last novel, Jonathan Safran Foer returns with an ambitious third novel, Here I Am, about an American Jewish family, the Blochs, who have come to something of a crossroads in their lives.
Jacob and Julia Bloch, and their three sons, Sam, Max and Benji are very much the epitome of solid family life, to the outside world at least.
In reality, Jacob’s grandfather is considering whether to take his own life instead of moving into the Jewish home, Julia has just discovered Jacob’s ‘other’ phone with explicit text messages not meant for her, Jacob’s oldest son, Sam, has been accused of writing offensive words at school, and to top it all, the family pet, Argus, is on his last legs.
It couldn’t be much worse, but then the situation in Israel reaches breaking point, and Jacob has to face up to both his personal and political responsibilities.
Foer’s family saga aims a microscopic lens on the dynamics of the Bloch family whilst simultaneously taking a telescopic view of the geopolitical tableau.
It is an impressive feat, but it is in those close-up moments of family life, the breakdown of spousal relationships, and the vibrant colloquies between parent and child, that the novel really excels.
Unfortunately though, it is a hard act to maintain across a novel of this length.
Published by Hamish Hamilton
