The Assistant (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780374504847)

An Intimate Window into the American Immigrant Experience

Morris Bober, the family patriarch, yearns for better fortune as he runs a grocery store, never expecting how two robbers would change his life. Working alongside Morris, Frank Alpine, with his own complex relationship with the Jewish community, finds himself entangled in a web of emotions and conflicting actions. As he becomes smitten with Helen Bober, he simultaneously finds himself embroiled in acts of theft.

This tale of love, family, and ambition sits within the broader landscape of a New York cityscape steeped in a vibrant mix of Italian-American and Jewish cultures. The stark realities of 1950s Brooklyn color this narrative in a way that is as vivid as it is compelling.

Like Malamud's best stories, this novel unerringly evokes an immigrant world of cramped circumstances and great expectations. With a blend of contemporary American literature and psychological fiction, Malamud offers an inimitable insight into the nuances of immigrant family life while shedding light on the universal human experience.

Author: Bernard Malamud
ISBN-10: 0374504849
ISBN-13: 9780374504847
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Language: English
Published: 07/07/2003
Pages: 246
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.54lbs
Size: 8.22h x 5.52w x 0.68d

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.9
Point Value: 13
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 68899 / Assistant


Review Citation(s):
New York Times Book Review 08/26/2007 pg. 22