Rocketgirl's Full Review: Pete Hamill - Snow in August
Pete Hamill has written a number of books, some fiction, some non-fiction. It would be difficult to classify his fiction because it doesn't neatly fit in any genre. It isn't quite literary either. I guess I must call it general fiction. This is the first book of his I have read and I must say that I enjoy his writing style.
This story is set in Brooklyn post World War II. Michael Devlin is an 11-year old Irish Catholic. He serves as an altar boy at the local Catholic church. One day on his way to church, he is approached by a Jewish rabbi, Judah Hirsch. At first Michael is nervous about the man, because he is different. The rabbi needs him to do a favor. Please turn on the lights. Michael does what he asks, but confused as to why the rabbi can't do it himself. It is the sabbath and Jews cannot do any work, he explains. Turning on the lights, or lighting a candle, or shutting off the water, would be considered work. Despite his initial wariness, Michael becomes fascinated with Rabbi Hirsch.
Michael begins to visit the rabbi frequently. He becomes his "shabbos goy," that is, a non-Jew, that performs certain functions for him. Michael becomes fascinated with the Yiddish language and Jewish folk lore. In return, Michael helps the rabbi with his English and with learning the wonderful game of baseball. It is his dream to someday go to Ebbets Field and see Jackie Robinson play.
In between the bouts of friendship, is an underlying threat to the neighborhood. Some thugs, first beat up a Jewish shopkeeper and put him in a coma. Michael knows who did it cannot tell because he won't allow himself to be labeled as a rat. These same thugs threaten the rabbi and his mother, as well as himself. So Michael needs to figure out a way to keep his very important friendship while eliminating the threat of Frankie and the Falcons.
This book does have a religious tone to it, so some readers might be turned off by that. However, it comes off more as a teaching tone than a lecturing or beating your over the head. Michael questions why Catholics and Jews worship the same God but have different rules. He talks to both his Catholic priest and the Jewish rabbi for advice and wisdom. It is an interesting theme as it is seen through the eyes of an 11-year-old boy. You can understand why children would be confused by religion.
The author also does a good job of describing the conflict the boy feels in not telling what he knows. Keeping the friendship of his pals overrides what is right. He knows he should tell, but can't. He is also afraid of being beat up. He also feels the pain for when his friends turn their backs on him. Hamill allows you to feel what a young boy would feel and make it seem realistic.
The story does drag a bit at times when the rabbi his educating him on Yiddish and when the boy is talking about baseball. It is necessary, though, to understand the "magic" of the relationship felt by the boy. His old comic book heroes now seem irrelevant to him compared to real life.
The snow in August refers to a "miracle," that happens so that Michael gets what he wants. I would have preferred that the ending would have taken place as a true religious miracle, where the bad guy gets his just deserts. Instead the ending is done in a sort of mythological manner, which seemed rather disappointing and not fitting the theme of the rest of the book. The desired outcome is there, I suppose, but I didn't particularly care for how it was carried out.
Overall, though, I enjoyed the book in its uplifting story, a friendship between unlikely people. I enjoyed the strong characters. I liked the historical setting, showing people's values and issues during different historical times. There is nothing vulgar, sexual, or violent about it. It is simply a heart warming story of the happiness of a young boy. I would recommend it and look forward to reading others by this author.
Set in a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood in 1947, this poignant tale revolves around two of the most endearing characters in recent fiction: an 11...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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