Starred review from December 20, 2021
Nobel laureate Tokarczuk’s subtle and sensuous masterpiece (after Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead) weaves together the stories of characters searching for a meaningful life and spiritual truth in Eastern and Southeastern Europe during the second half of the 18th century. The novel’s wide cast includes Nahman, a Jewish merchant who has abandoned his familial responsibilities to study religious philosophy; and Moliwda, a Polish Christian ashamed of his past and intrigued by Judaism. They are connected by their fascination with the novel’s central character, Jacob Frank, a charismatic Jewish merchant who proclaims himself the Messiah and gathers a following with his erotic and liberated vision of life. Jacob’s Jewish followers are encouraged to eat religiously banned food products and get baptized, and—importantly for the libidinous Jacob—adultery is no longer frowned upon among his following. Readers are rewarded throughout with tender and ebullient moments, such as the jubilant dancing of Jacob and his followers as they wait to cross into Polish territory on a mission to spread his message. Nahman and Moliwda spend a good deal of time holding conversations on conundrums that are difficult for them to square, such as life’s difficulty despite the purported goodness of God. In the hands of Tokarczuk and Croft, these concerns feel real and vital—the result of Tokarczuk’s deep investment in her material. This visionary work will undoubtedly be read and talked about by lovers of literature for years to come.
July 1, 2022
Tokarczuk (Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead) elicits understanding, if not sympathy, for the 18th-century professed messiah and convicted heretic Jacob Frank as his story is told through the eyes of his Sabbatean Jew followers and skeptics and persecutors both Jewish and Christian, as well as the all-seeing gaze of his grandmother, Yente. Yente's perspective spans all eras of this epic novel, guiding listeners through a complex web of characters, many of whom have multiple names or adopt new ones when Frank preaches conversion. Unable to assign unique voices to all, Gilli Messer adjusts dialogue according to age and background, but her energetic pace thwarts casual listening. Supporting narrator Allen Lewis Rickman reads a single character's epistolary chapters with welcome distinction and authenticity, suggesting that a full-cast recording like the 2020 Polish-language audiobook would have helped keep listeners oriented. Nevertheless, Messer's bright voice captures much of the author's and translator's use of humor to ground major events in the mundanities of lives affected, especially women's. VERDICT Demand will be high for Croft's translation of Nobel Laureate Tokarczuk's masterpiece, which rewards a close reading in print or a distraction-free listen.--Lauren Kage
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