Hope Road

The Gift of Asher Lev by Chaim Potok ****

Asher Lev, the artist who agonized himself and his family in My Name Is Asher Lev, is now a grown man. He lives in France and is married to Devorah, a World War II survivor, and they have two children, Rocheleh and Avrumel. The novel opens with the death of Asher’s uncle. Throughout, Asher faces the agonizing change that takes place as his own family becomes rooted in the place he thought he had left forever - Brooklyn, the headquarters for Ladover Judaism. Loss casts a deep shadow over the story.

I found The Gift of Asher Lev a little more difficult to read than My Name Is Asher Lev, but still filled with Potok’s signature dazzling imagery and understated lyrical prose. Yesterday as I was nearing the end of the book, I told my roommates I would like to write out sentences from the book and paste them all over my walls so I could imbibe them their brilliance. Anyone who wants to be a serious writer could profit from reading The Gift of Asher Lev. It is a slow, meditative, but enjoyable book.

Recommended age level: 18+. This book contains more language and more mature situations than its predecessor. Potok does not indulge in them often, but enough that this novel is best suited for adults.