It's a pleasure to kick off and take part in the BlogTour Jacob's Advice by Jude Cook.
Two cousins search for their Jewish identity in the Paris of 2015.
Jude Cook is the author of Byron Easy. He also writes for The Guardian,The Spectator, Literary Review, New Statesman, TLS, while his essays and short fiction have appeared in Stockholm Review, The Moth, and The Honest Ulsterman, among others. In 2017, he was longlisted for the Pin
Drop RA short story award, and in 2018 for the Colm Tóibín International Short Story Award. He is an editor for The Literary Consultancy and teaches creative writing at the University of Westminster. Jude lives in London.
Follow @judecook_ on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit judecook.blogspot.com, Buy Jacob's Advice
About the book
Larry Frost, a British pharmacologist living in Paris, is exuberant, charismatic, wildly opinionated. He’s also convinced he’s Jewish – or at least he’s long had his hopes. But his search for what he believes is his true identity produces more questions than answers.
In early 2015, following the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo, Larry is joined by his sceptical older cousin, Nick Newman. Divorced, separated from his son and desperately trying to understand his own place in the world, Nick is drawn inextricably into Larry’s slipstream as they walk the fractured, uneasy, magical streets of Paris.
Then, in November, terrorism strikes the city again. With Paris and the cousins still reeling from the trauma, Larry receives the information he’s urgently been seeking: a long-held family secret that will change both their lives forever.
Set against a backdrop of extremism, nationalism and the resurgence of antisemitism, Jacob’s Advice is a timely exploration of identity, race, family and the inescapable nature of the past.
Larry's search for his identity and roots is an interesting storyline. He feels connected and is convinced that he has Jewish heritage. The result of his search and Jacob's reaction is such an important moment. Cook draws parallels to the past, what Larry wants also comes with a certain burden, a burden that shouldn't be sought out perhaps.
For me the following words encompass the poignancy of the read, at least the importance of living life to its fullest, which includes exploring and enjoying the joy and not just the trauma. 'Adorno said there could be no poetry after Auschwitz, but he was wrong. There has to be! There must be! Or we are all lost.'
Life without pleasure, enjoying the arts, life in general, the beauty, and passing those things on and around to further generations. What better way to set in stone, for all those who wish harm to them that Jews and their faith with persevere, as they have done through the centuries and plenty of attempts to destroy them.
Aside from a need to identify his heritage there is also part of him that thinks it is a bit like having a grandmother who was allegedly a Cherokee princess. Instead of truly comprehending the history that comes with it and the persecution. Walking the streets of Paris after a hate driven attack helps to put life into perspective, even if Nick is always more enamoured with his own emotional needs and invested in himself to take on board how others may be feeling.
It's an intriguing balancing act of reality and expectations. The world and relationships they would like to have and lead, and then the brutal honesty of what that truth means. Belonging to someone, something, especially in times when belonging could mean the difference between life and death.
Buy Jacob's Advice at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Unbound; pub date 20 Aug. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Unbound.
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