The History of Love by Nicole KraussLast night I finished reading this book, which has received much critical acclaim.
Synopsis:
Fourteen-year-old Alma Singer is trying to find a cure for her mother's lonliness. Believing she might discover it in an old book her mother is lovingly translating, she sets out in search of its author. Across New York an old man named Leo Gursky is trying to survive a little bit longer. He spends his days dreaming of the lost love that sixty years ago in Poland inspired him to write a book. And although he doesn't know it yet, that book also survived: crossing oceans and generations, and changing lives...Krauss' characters are vivid and real (though Alma's brother Bird does seem unnecessary quirky). Having the story told from different perspectives can be a bit jarring, but it is very effective. We start the novel wondering at the connection between Alma and Leo and then slowly watch the story beautifully unravel to a very satisfying ending.
