David Samuel Levinson

Tell Me How This Ends Well
Author: David Samuel Levinson
Publisher: Hogarth

It’s 2022, and things have not changed much since 1939. American Jews are increasingly unsafe, and anti-Semitism is on the rise. The Jacobson family gathers for Passover in Los Angeles. Their problems are personal rather than political. The three adult children, Mo, Edith, and Jacob, are each in a state of crisis. Each of them proclaims that their problems stem from a lifetime of abuse at the hands of their father, Julian. They plan a reunion of a sort, one ending in the demise of their father and saving; they believe the life of their mother.

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This book might have more basis in reality than fiction in today's global outlook on people, cultures, as well as families of all types in whatever state they find themselves. Mr. Levinson has written a funny and compelling story about a troubled family with many ups and downs, personalities and goals with little concern for the sensitive nature of the children's plight and what they plan to do.

This story is at times, hilariously funny and downright worrisome as it often hits home in ways that most people can relate to in one way or another whether they are willing to admit it or not. The story is dark, with scenes of hopelessness and brutality. In the end, the children show that no matter what they've been through or how much they argue or disagree with one another they have the strength to overcome their petty differences.

This book is well written and compelling, it is perhaps slightly too long and for many far too dark but this should not prevent it from having an impact on the reader. Mr. Levinson shows an obvious talent for getting to the heart of a situation without sacrificing detail, plot, or entertainment value. This story is thought provoking and heart wrenching; it is also intriguing. It is highly recommended.


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I felt that this novel had potential, but maybe needed some more editing to be great. I'm a fan of dystopias, and speculative fiction, and I like the author's decision to set this particular family story in a dystopian world. It makes sense with the family drama that the author is telling. I like the details of the world, and feel the author has a interesting story to tell, but there were a few weaknesses in the writing and it feels to me as though another pass with a talented editor would prune away things that get in the way of the story.… (más)