AmosL
09-01-2006, 06:53 AM
Lowenthal, Michael. "Avoidance". Graywolf Press, 2004.
Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
I have been a fan of Michael Lowenthal since I read his first book, "The Same Embrace' several years ago. His writing is both powerful and tender at the same time and he deals with controversial topics. "The Same Embrace" dealt with identical twin brothers, one a gay activist and one a religious fanatic. The alienation felt between the two of them surfaces again in "Avoidance" which deals with a member of the Amish community who also happens to prefer men. Immediately, we can sense that this is going to be problematic for Jeremy Still who is excluded from the life and the people of his religion because he happens to be "different". Here is the story of the individual versus the group and the problems that arise from that.
Asserting his individuality was almost impossible for Jeremy. He had been raised to know that there would always be someone there for him. While in college at Harvard, he lived with a strict Amish family so that he could observe their faith and the way they shut out those who did not piously observe. During that time he came to know Beulah who had been banished from her own Amish community but this further muddles his mind regarding his own exile. As he tries to balance his life between responsibility and desire, his confusion becomes more intense and the lines between thought and action come together.
One of the most important things that I learned here is, contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as all right or all wrong--nothing is all black nor all white. The shades of gradation of these two colors in "Avoidance" provides the tension and suspense of the novel. Another uniqueness in the book was the way my allegiance would shift between characters. The sensitivity of the novel is superb and the language is lush and poetic, yet amazingly easy to read. Lowenthal ever loses a sense of direction as he weaves his story and the sexual abuse of the character of Jeremy is presented incredibly humanistically. When the character of the abuser is painted in clear colors, he takes on the characteristic of a character that even elicits sympathy at times. There are times that I had to stop reading and say to myself. "This too much, I need a break." I have not had this happen many times. Even with that happening, this is quite a read. Disturbing, yes--powerful, indeed; this is a book to be remembered. A good writer should be able to disturb your routine and peace. Lowenthal does that with great style and feeling. It is compelling and repelling at the same time and more than all else, it is a wonderful addition to the field of gay literature, moreso it is a notable addition to the entire world of literature.
Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
I have been a fan of Michael Lowenthal since I read his first book, "The Same Embrace' several years ago. His writing is both powerful and tender at the same time and he deals with controversial topics. "The Same Embrace" dealt with identical twin brothers, one a gay activist and one a religious fanatic. The alienation felt between the two of them surfaces again in "Avoidance" which deals with a member of the Amish community who also happens to prefer men. Immediately, we can sense that this is going to be problematic for Jeremy Still who is excluded from the life and the people of his religion because he happens to be "different". Here is the story of the individual versus the group and the problems that arise from that.
Asserting his individuality was almost impossible for Jeremy. He had been raised to know that there would always be someone there for him. While in college at Harvard, he lived with a strict Amish family so that he could observe their faith and the way they shut out those who did not piously observe. During that time he came to know Beulah who had been banished from her own Amish community but this further muddles his mind regarding his own exile. As he tries to balance his life between responsibility and desire, his confusion becomes more intense and the lines between thought and action come together.
One of the most important things that I learned here is, contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as all right or all wrong--nothing is all black nor all white. The shades of gradation of these two colors in "Avoidance" provides the tension and suspense of the novel. Another uniqueness in the book was the way my allegiance would shift between characters. The sensitivity of the novel is superb and the language is lush and poetic, yet amazingly easy to read. Lowenthal ever loses a sense of direction as he weaves his story and the sexual abuse of the character of Jeremy is presented incredibly humanistically. When the character of the abuser is painted in clear colors, he takes on the characteristic of a character that even elicits sympathy at times. There are times that I had to stop reading and say to myself. "This too much, I need a break." I have not had this happen many times. Even with that happening, this is quite a read. Disturbing, yes--powerful, indeed; this is a book to be remembered. A good writer should be able to disturb your routine and peace. Lowenthal does that with great style and feeling. It is compelling and repelling at the same time and more than all else, it is a wonderful addition to the field of gay literature, moreso it is a notable addition to the entire world of literature.