Again, a strange quirk of fate in this game has dealt me a hand consisting of two consecutive books set in Alaska. Which, aside from anything else, has given me the oppotunity to make two god-awful attempts at plays on words. One of them in Yiddish. Ahem. Anyway, my second visit to Seward's Folly (see, working on U.S. History has taught me something – I now know there's more to Alaska than Sarah Palin) was rather different.
This one redraws the map and imagines a Jewish homeland set up after World War II in Alaska rather than Israel. What I've read of Michael Chabon's work I've really enjoyed and The Yiddish Policemen's Union is no different. Revolving around chess, murder and a large number of Jews trapped inside their very own snow bubble, this is an intriguing concept and an entertaining story to boot. The prose is simpler and sharper than Chabon's usual, which definitely helps the pace and makes it read like the thriller it clearly is. The plot is unravelled slowly, bringing together many strands and the author's ability to tie them up, tangle them and unravel them again is a fine touch.
Although protagonist Meyer Landsman could be mistaken for a clichéd copper, he's no caricature and in spite of his obvious flaws, he's strangely likeable. I think maybe this is because he makes mistakes, he does stupid things and he is just a man. He's no flawed genius, just an everyman trying to get on with his job, if not his life. Throw in his ex-wife (now his boss), his partner (also related) and some bloodline history and it truly becomes a family affair.
It has pretty much everything that could be asked for from such a book, it's engrossing, engaging and well-executed. To those authors left behind trailing in its wake: Jew up.
Book number: 30
Title: The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Author: Michael Chabon
Category: Crime
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