Yom Kippur in Amsterdam

A young Jewish man tries to decide if he should marry the girlfriend who refuses to convert; a famous poet encounters a woman who once meant a lot to him but lost through his own cowardice; two Soviet emigres to America become reacquainted after nine years; a Russian man reminisces about the beautiful mermaid he once saw in a lake in his youth. Shrayer who emigrated from the Soviet Union at the age of 20 shows complete mastery of the English language in all its profound beauty, in both the stories he translated from his Russian or orignally wrote in English. These stories of loss and longing are luminous and moving, and Shrayer deserves a wider audience.

Culture barriers stop many people from doing many things. "Yom Kippur in Amsterdam" is a collection of short stories from Maxim D. Shrayer, his collection focusing on culture clash and the people who dare to try to overcome it. With simple prose and fascinating characters, and a positive message, "Yom Kippur in Amsterdam" is a fine collection of short stories which does not deserve to be ignored.

I should confess - I really loved this new book by Maxim Shrayer, just as I loved his recent Waiting for America. There is something in his writing that strikes a strong emotional and intellectual resonance. Each one of the delightful short stories is a gem; very original, and even the occasional themes already seen elsewhere somehow read fresh.