Mr. Mani

The story of the Mani family through six generations, moving backward from 1982, as told by an Israeli woman, a Nazi soldier, and doctor (among others). The story is revealed through a series of conversations, in which only one side of the dialogue is printed. A largely experimental novel, it is a fascinating one, and a significant literary accomplishment. To read more reviews check out Void Magazine's website.

I stopped to write a review only because I saw that all five stars were not fully checked. One can like or not like the content of the book, but as a exposition of writing craft it is - bar none - the best book in the world. (Allright, I'll be circumspect, maybe one of the best). It will blow you away and change the way you think about the novel as a literary form. A genius at his best, no less.

I concur with other readers that "Mr. Mani" stands in a class of its own. The book, which spans centuries, manages to do so while remaining riveting and vivid. That I remember it years after re-reading it, that I am now trying to write my own novel allows me to now see how truly masterful this book is. If you don't write you may not realize how much had to go into the leaping stories, the profundity of character and the great subject this author took on and completed. Maybe a few on this earth are as blessed with the gift of creation, but they are very few indeed.

This is a book that is unforgettable. I read it five years ago and I still have dreams about it. I still find myself in the scenes and epochs that Mr. Mani traverses. I am a professor of literature and so I must read more than most. This book has the hand of God on it. It stands out. Buy it and love it.

Told from the perspective of the people who encounter the Mani family throughout the generations this book is amazing. WHile it takes a few pages to get used to the fact that the Mani men will not be speaking for themselves, once that is accepted this book moves along making you think and feel for these people that you only encounter through the perspective of strangers. What's even better is that you see a character in one generation from one perspective and then in the next chapter the character is considerably younger and there is some one else's perspective. So the father about to commit suicide and who is the mission of the first narrator becomes a child Jew that is an inconvenience to the Nazi character with a conscience of the second chapter. Where most experimental literature is only experimental, this book shows that storytelling and style don't need to be mutually exclusive.