February 9, 2009
In a prelude to her problematic novel, David describes how important the prophet Elijah was for the Bene Israel Jews of India, and introduces Elijah as the novel's fun-loving protagonist. Unfortunately, both Elijah and the merriment disappear after the first chapter. After rioting in Ahmedabad in 2002, a small community of Jews whose ancestors had lived peacefully in India move into an apartment building to avoid the crossfire. Despite the intriguing setting and character sketches rich with possibility, the result is unpolished and unsatisfying. Vignettes are shaped around weighty themes of religion, love, infertility, death and prophesy, but the actors never become more than puppets manipulated with an obvious hand, undermining the sometimes powerful imagery and infrequently addressed topics—such as living as a secret Jew in Pakistan. David, who grew up in Ahmedabad and has written previously about the Bene Israeli, knows her subject well, but has not done it justice.
April 1, 2009
Built after the 2002 Ahmedabad riots, the Shalom India Housing Society is an eclectic community of the Bene Israel Jews of India and the setting that binds this assortment of abundant, if brief, vignettes. The collection opens with the boisterous Prophet Elijah on the first day of Passover as he visits and introduces the varied characters in the apartment complex. There is the timid, teenage Yael, who discovers her voice during the fancy dress competition, wrapped as a mummy, no less. The widowed Ruby, distraught with guilt over her husbands death, questions her burgeoning desire for a Christian violinist. A passionate, youthful love affair between Ben Hur and Lolo illustrates the complexity of adolescence under the pressure of traditional and modern expectations. David is not afraid to tackle thematic giantsreligion, cultural identity, parenthood, death, reckless lovewhile characters young and old grapple with their various torments. The concise, intersecting nature of the characters tales can feel disjointed, though the nuanced portrayal of this diminishing community as a whole is quietly affecting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)