For my last official book of
the year, I wasn’t expecting a masterpiece or something I would enjoy greatly,
since I have never been one to experience life in that sort of way, but I
wasn’t expecting the book, David Bezmozgis’ second novel, The Betrayers, to be
as plain and boring as it was. It is easily my most disappointing book released
this year, sharing that dubious honor with Scott Cheshire’s High as the Horses’
Bridle. There really isn’t anything new or unique about the book, despite
blurbs on the back and inside of the book from trusted sources like Gary
Shetyngart and Joshua Ferris. It is a derivative piece, trying to imitate the
best of Bernard Malamud and Philip Roth, and in doing so, never tries to carve
out it’s own, original place in modern literature, and ultimately just fills a
the niche of a maudlin, slightly funny tale of Jewish identity. The main
character, Baruch Kotler, is a high-ranking Israeli politician finds his
illicit affair with a much younger woman revealed when he fails to side with
the majority of his peers. He flees the country with his mistress, and finds
himself back in Crimean resort Yalta, where he finds himself reacquainted with
his tumultuous past, including the person who sent him to the Russian Gulags.
As I said before, this book doesn’t offer much. With the exception of the
opening scene which takes place in a restaurant and goes to show what an
overbearing jerk Baruch can be, this book seemed like a total waste, and even
with its short 225 page length, way longer than it needed to be. I read
Bezmozgis’ first novel The Free World and found it all right but forgettable;
this book isn’t even that good, and I’m thinking Bezmozgis’ might be one of our
most overrated writers.
Rating: 2/5
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