The best book I read this month was not a book I particularly liked. So why is it the best? Because it provoked the strongest reaction. That book is What to Do About the Solomons by Bethany Ball.
What to Do About the Solomons centers on Yakov Solomon, manager of an Israeli kibbutz, his Algerian wife, and their children. At the opening of the book, the children are adults, and most have moved away from the kibbutz. Then, through a series of vignettes that jump from character to character and across time and place, we meet each of the children and a few of the grandchildren.
I picked up this book because its reviews called it funny and poignant and full of joy, and I was looking for a lighter read after finishing a historical fiction that had a lot of fighting and bloodshed. The first 10-12 pages lived up to the reviews. They were funny and poignant, and I loved them. Then the book took a turn. It grew dark and lost the humor. I didn’t find any joy in it, but I’m not the type of person who finds joy in other people’s misfortune. And I admit, there are so many characters in the story that I couldn’t keep track of who they all were, especially in relation to each other.
Still, I read the whole book cover to cover and fairly quickly, too. Why? A few reasons.
One, I was hoping at the end that there would be something that brought all the children together, that tied all the different storylines together. (SPOILER: There wasn’t.)
Two, it’s the story of a Jewish family that is not centered on the Holocaust. In fact, the Holocaust is never mentioned in the book. So many novels about the Jewish experience revolve around the Holocaust that it was a relief to read one that is Holocaust-free.
Lastly, there are some masterful turns of phrase in the book, descriptions that made me stop and say “Wow.” This one is my favorite:
“He loved the Palestinian sun. It was different than in Europe—brighter and whiter. Not filtered through misery, upheaval, old hatreds.”
My verdict? It’s a well-written book, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. It’s clear from the reviews that I read, though, that many others were swept away by it. So, give it a shot, maybe?