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In the close-knit Jewish community of 1980s Gothenburg, tradition and family are sacred. So when Jacob's mother leaves his father for her gentile boss – on the eve of her son's bar mitzvah – the family's disintegration soon becomes public knowledge. Set against the backdrop of a fragmented diaspora, Stephen Mendel-Enk's debut novel is an irreverent portrayal of a small and modernising society. As Jacob confronts the harsh realities of adult life, his witty observations capture how people react when their worlds fall in. Tackling dark subjects such as death, divorce and dementia with humour and compassion, Jacob's episodic narrative can jar at times, the pace slackening without a linear plot. Momentum is regained by the portrayal of the deep relationships that develop, particularly between the older generation of grandparents, made all the more poignant by clean, evocative prose. Attention to detail and an insider's voice that is informative but not didactic combine to make Oh Sweden! Oh Israel! an interesting account of conflict and community.
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