The Search for M (Studies in Austrian Literature, Culture, and Thought Translation Series) Review

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The Search for M (Studies in Austrian Literature, Culture, and Thought Translation Series) ReviewDoron Rabinovici's The Search for M is a novel filled with mystery, both the standard genre sort of mystery and a more existentialist mystery how to create or locate one's identity. The mystery of lesser importance, and also the mystery that is easily solved by the reader, is the search for Mullemann. In the novel first and second generations holocaust survivors try to make lives for themselves in modern Europe and Israel. The novel focuses in on Dani Morgenthau and Arieh Arthur Bein, two young men who are trying to understand who they are as children of holocaust survivors. They are not the only characters on a search for identity; their family and friends get lost as well in the modern world.
Searching for an identity is no new topic for an author to tackle but Rabinovici adds a lot of baggage into the story with the revelation that all of the main characters are survivors of the Holocaust or survivor's children. The way that Rabinovici shows the deep impact of the Holocaust is believable yet not heavy; this is not an emotional drama such as Schindler's List. Through the characters strange habits and talents we see that the Holocaust is not an event that happened to the characters but is a part of them. Leon Fischer cannot help making sure that everyone around him eats whenever the opportunity arises, Jakob Scheinowiz abandons the Jewish community only to find out that had looked he could have found his mother, and then there are the special talents of the second generation.

The guilt of survival and the pressure to live great lives for those who died is passed on to the second generation. Jakob's son Arieh learns that when he tracks criminals he somehow takes on the criminals' habits. How could he blend himself so easily into someone else? The answer does not seem important to Rabinovici but it most likely has to do with the fact that Arieh learns his father had a different name during the war and Arieh's lack of contact with the Jewish community until he is a young adult. When Arieh asks about the night that he discovers his powers, "What makes this night different from all others?" we can see the religious link from Jewish ritual (Passover) to his absorbing the traits of others.

A friend of Arieh, Dani Morgenthau, also is attracted to seeking out criminals yet not to have them punished, rather he claims the crime to his; his favorite words being, "I did it. It was me. I am guilty." Dani's drive to claim other's guilt started when he was young and would often take the blame for his friends; but why he would claim the guilt of others seems to go back further. Dani's family avoids speaking about their lives during the Holocaust as much as possible; there is never a discussion as to why so many Jews died but Dani lives leaving him confused and with an odd sort of persecution complex.
Dani and Arieh are the novels central characters; Arieh's striving to find himself and Dani's confusion and helplessness leave you with a strong sympathy. The novel makes a great statement in showing that events such as the Holocaust are not just history lessons; the Holocaust continues to affect the current generation. Rabinovici creates a cast of characters that are interesting though sometimes hard to keep straight due to their inclination to change their names. The author is questioning how much of a person's knowledge of themselves is tied into their name, their past, and their history.

The novel is filled with interesting secondary characters such as Kessyer, who hatred of having his name spelled wrong leads to a clever end, and Mosche, who reverses the pronunciation of all declarative statements and questions. The novel is quite masculine in that all women in the novel seem only to have supporting roles. Surely the women have struggles with their identity too but it is never really addressed. The women are for the most part either mothers, lovers, or wives whose actions serve to drive their son's or significant other's story forward. I am sure the women could have offered much more to the novel but when taking the novel as is I must say that The Search for M is interesting, clever, and thought provoking.The Search for M (Studies in Austrian Literature, Culture, and Thought Translation Series) Overview

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