willemite

While I see considerable value in the book, I was not blown away by it. Edgar Altschuler, a stand in for Doctorow (Edgar Lawrence Doctorow), tells of his early family life and comes of age in the era just prior to World War II. Change is in the air, symbolized by the fair and occasional dark news from Europe. The family suffers from hard times as his father is not able to sustain a decent income, partly from the nature of the times, but also the result of a toxic gambling habit (and maybe other vices as well). Edgar is brought up east of the Grand Concourse, on Eastburn Avenue (subsequently chopped in half by the Cross Bronx Expressway) near Claremont Park, about a mile and twenty years away from my childhood haunts. I recognized many of the landmarks mentioned here, and many of the physical details of apartment living of that time. In fact, maybe it was too familiar. We see Edgar grow, but not too far, only far enough to see some things he should not see and feel some new, natural things. In fact, by the end of the book he has just entered fifth grade and begun school with his first pair of long pants (which cannot be literal, given New York winters)

The characters are well-portrayed, believable, and we care about Edgar. His mother, Rose, is given a voice as well, narrating a few chapters showing her history.

History begins and ends the book, starting with Rose telling us of her birth and ending with Edgar dropping a time capsule into the ground. I guess that is what this book really is, a time capsule of a certain time and place in a particular class of people. Edgar’s father reminds us, when at the fair, that history tends to ignore the experience of the working people. It is also very clear that even within the family there are clear class differences.

Edgar’s feelings seem quite real, seeing his parents as god-like when very young, then slowly coming to see their flaws. Feeling the growing distance from his older brother, Donald, as Donald reaches adulthood while Edgar is still a child. Enjoying the company of his friend Meg, and her unusual mother, Norma (who, as a sexy woman, had to have been named for Norma Jean), who so casually stirred nascent attractions, then learning that perhaps there was more potential to the friendship than being just friends. We see how Edgar deals with fear, cowering and weak when attacked by muggers, willing to deny his Jewishness, then later overcoming his fear in a small way when on the parachute ride with Meg. We see him go from being completely public to having a private life. We see him take a private chance when he enters a writing contest. He had grown. And as an omniscient viewer of history we know just how much change is just around the corner for Edgar. He seems a decent enough kid, an everyman, and we can root for him.