Word: lelyveldã
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...attempts to reconstruct the life of a man named Ben Goldstein, a significant figure in his childhood. Goldstein is a complex character, so much so that he might merit a work all his own, but he really has no place taking up so much room in what is ostensibly Lelyveld??s story. He may loom large in the author’s memories, but his presence in this book feels too tangential, if independently fascinating...
...latter part of “Omaha Blues” functions as a tribunal intent on uncovering the vagaries of a misremembered, distorted, and often undocumented past outside of Lelyveld??s own experience, a Rashomon-like court set with the tasks of weighing evidence, collecting testimony, piecing together a mystery...
...result, however, is a work that itself reads as mysteriously pieced together. Lelyveld??s goals work at cross-purposes, leaving the reader confused and disappointed. “Omaha Blues” shows how difficult it is to both conjure a ghost and purge restless memories within a single text. The endeavor is a valiant one, but it would have been better served by reserving its disparate aims for independent ventures...
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