Who's Who

To be honest, I have no idea where to begin. So much has happened in the first quarter of the book, and I am eager to chat about everything from character development to meaningful passages to stylistic elements. I will contain my excitement, however, and refrain from hitting you with it all at once to keep confusion to a minimum.

How about I begin right where I left off with introducing you to the characters, because after reading my first post you probably felt a bit overwhelmed and confused (understandably so). The main protagonist, Leo Gursky, is the one I previously developed. I described his depressed outlook through his preoccupation with his own death. For example, Leo always wonders if the moment of his death has finally arrived. He morbidly imagines "[being] lured to be robbed and killed, [picturing his] body on the floor in a pool of blood" (Krauss 15) at one point, and maybe "how [he'll] go in a fit of laughter...laughing and singing, laughing and crying, laughing so as to forget that [he is] alone" (Krauss 7) at another point. In addition, he carries "an index card in his wallet that says: My name is Leo Gursky I have no family please call Pinelawn Cemetery I have a plot there in the Jewish part thank you for your consideration" (Krauss 25). Though these depressing thoughts and actions are apparent to the reader, Leo seems to be unaware of them. They are so routine for him that he never tries to change them.

At first, I wanted to use the word self-pitying to describe him. But now I have come to realize that doesn't quite fit. He never feels sorry for himself, he just kind of accepts the way life is. He also doesn't expect the reader to feel sorry for him. He shamelessly presents himself as a basic human being who goes to the bathroom, takes fiber supplements every morning, and analyzes his aging appearance in the mirror. He even says how "[he'd] never mistake [himself] for anyone special" (Krauss 22) without figuratively screaming "I have a low self-esteem" or "I want complements." Overall, his character is generally likeable, aside from those moments when he makes you want to yell at him for being depressingly morbid or when he goes disruptively out of his way to be seen. Then again, in the context of his story these quirks make sense. He is, after all, old and lonely and heart broken from when Alma hurt him decades ago; not to mention the fact that he longs to connect with his son someday.

Speaking of his son, let me introduce you to him. His name is Isaac, and he is a famous writer, author of Glass Houses and many more. The only description of him that we have so far is what we can gather through his writing about God and angels. At this point, he has only met his father, Leo, once during his book reading. Yet, he had no idea the man asking him to sign his book was his father. I'm sure his character will be developed more as the novel goes on, considering he should be receiving the package in the mail from his father containing the manuscript of Leo's book, The History of Love. Stay tuned!

Forgive me as I backtrack a bit now, there is one more loose end from the beginning that I need to tie up. I skipped over the character of Bruno, Leo's best friend from his childhood in Poland who now lives in the apartment above him. We have not yet met Bruno, but he has still established an important role. Years ago they reconnected on the street in New York City after decades of separation, and Leo almost could not believe it. Actually, I could not believe it either. What are the chances of that even happening? Oh well, I guess that's why they call it realistic fiction. Anyways, Bruno quickly became Leo's best friend again. They established a system of checking in on each other by tapping on their radiators and always make it a point to let each other know what they are up to. Bruno is a support character to Leo in many ways. He gives Leo a sense of motivation and purpose by letting him know there is someone in his world who cares about him. Without Bruno, Leo may have just given up and death might have taken him already.

Is the picture starting to become more clear now? Hopefully these character analyses cleared up any residual confusion and helped you to make better sense of who's who and what's what. I still have lots to share, so be sure to check back in soon!