New Book Alert: The Book of Uriel by Elyse Hoffman; WWII Novel Mixes Reality, Fantasy, and Love Between Surrogate Father and Son

 

New Book Alert: The Book of Uriel by Elyse Hoffman; WWII Novel Mixes Reality, Fantasy, and Love Between Surrogate Father and Son

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: When it comes to books about the Holocaust and World War II, Elyse Hoffman's The Book of Uriel is more reminiscent of Markus Zusak's The Book Thief or Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay than many of the other World War II books that I have recently read like Dana Levy Elgrod's The Resistance Lily, Kit Sargent's Women Spies of World War II, Malve Von Hassel's Tapestry of My Mother's Life: Stories, Fragments, and Silences, Warren Court's The Aubrey Endeavors Spy Novels, Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan's Home Front Girls, Barbara Davis' The Keeper of Happy Endings, Melissa Muldoon's Waking Isabella and Eternally Artemisia, Nikki Broadwell's Rosemary for Remembrance, Ronald H. Balson's Eli's Promise, Mae Adams' Precious Silver Chopsticks: A True Story About a Korean Noble Family, John Hersey's Hiroshima, Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, Samuel Marquis' Soldiers of Freedom: The World War II Story of Patton's Panthers and The Edelweiss Pirates, Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls, Jeanne Mackin's The Last Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel, and Caroline Moorhead's A Train in Winter: A True Story of Women, Friendship and Resistance in Occupied France.

Unlike most of these books, the darkness and brutal reality of this deadly time is present but in The Book of Uriel, it is mixed with an engaging fantasy that carries a sense of darkness as well. Between the strange dualities of reality and fantasy lies a stirring moving story of a surrogate father and son on opposite sides but drawn to each other by bonds of love.

Uwe Litten is a linguist and translator for the German army. He's not a soldier but his fluency in Polish, Yiddish, Russian, Hebrew, and other languages comes in handy for Major Gunter Brandt as he sends his troops destroying one village after another (assuring Uwe that they are just "capturing enemies of the Reich" of course. Never mind that those enemies seem to be from specific religions, countries, or just about anyone at all). Uwe questions Brandt's tactics but is too concerned about his own safety and his place in the chain of command, which is none at all, to outright object. 

While marching through the Polish forests, Uwe, Brandt, and the German soldiers come upon Zingdorf, a Jewish village completely devastated by Polish forces. Brandt simply looks at the scene as a typical scene of war. Uwe looks on with despair especially when he sees the corpse of a young boy holding a golden notebook. Uwe gently picks up the notebook, reads the boy's name "Uriel", and accompanies the other soldiers on their way while reading Uriel's fantasy and religious stories and sketches of his home life.

After the soldiers leave, something unusual happens. Uriel is brought back to life by the angels, Gabriel and Raphael who have an assignment for him. God's second, the Archangel Michael has been held prisoner by his rival, Samael the Angel of Death. Samael and Michael's rivalry has been ongoing since Biblical days when the two took competing sides with twins, Esau and Jacob. (Samael was Team Esau and Michael was Team Jacob.) However, Michael, protector of the Jews, is missing and the angels don't know where he is. They need Uriel to locate him. Uriel is not the likeliest choice for a hero. He was born mute and can only communicate through writing but he has a second sight that can see angels and otherworldly creatures. Using a stone which grants invisibility, Uriel follows the soldiers. No one can see him but Uwe with whom he begins to bond.

Both Uwe and Uriel are tested in their own ways. Uwe encounters Jewish rebels and Polish partisans who are without food and weapons. He has to decide whose side he is really on. Meanwhile, Uriel meets up with Samael who is not an unreasonable sort of Angel of Death. He will tell the boy where Michael is if he accomplishes five tasks for him. Much of Uwe and Uriel's stories are connected by the various passages that Uwe reads to the young boy from his notebook.

There is so much going on in this book and so much of it done well. The fantasy combined with realism works because the fantasy isn't a light hearted distraction from the starkness of the rest of the book. Neither the fantastic nor the realistic hide the death and hatred that surrounds the characters. Uwe has to deal with the prejudices between the Polish and Jewish groups and their unwillingness to cooperate with each other or Uwe to fight the army that seeks to exterminate them. He has to gain their trust by providing food and finding and sharing a hidden cache of weapons.

Meanwhile Uriel has to deal with some very disturbing images during his tasks. When he is told to get a Book of Blood, he has to pick up the most hateful book that he knows, Mein Kampf, a copy which sheds actual blood on the pages. Another assignment involves him getting the waters from Sheol, while demons of the underworld and his own sins haunt him. Neither Uwe or Uriel's adventures are easy and require great strength and courage. 

The story between Uwe and Uriel anchors these two separate and compelling plots. In some ways, they remind me a great deal of Din Djarin and Grogu from The Mandalorian. (Uriel is especially reminiscent of the nonverbal, courageous, mischievous, but destined for greatness Baby Yoda.) They are a father and son who found each other and filled that aching lonely need in the middle of great political conflict and strife. 

Many of their moments together are heartwarming particularly when Uwe reads from Uriel's book and learns about the boy's former life with his parents, sister, and brother in law. The pages describing Uriel's time in Zingdorf and his stories of God, angels, and folklore characters show the bright, imaginative, curious kid that he is and how he views the world with a maturity that sees more than most kids would. 

Uriel and Uwe's bond as well as their separate journeys are brought together in a suspenseful and tear jerking conclusion. The Book of Uriel is the type of book that brings fantasy and reality together to frighten and disturb Readers. Then they make them cry and warm their hearts.