A mad desire to dance - bookrastinating.com

English language

Published March 16, 2009 by Alfred A. Knopf.

ISBN:: 978-0-307-26650-7
OCLC Number:: 245536766

(1 review)

From Elie Wiesel, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and one of our fiercest moral voices, a provocative and deeply thoughtful new novel about a life shaped by the worst horrors of the twentieth century and one man's attempt to reclaim happiness.Doriel, a European expatriate living in New York, suffers from a profound sense of desperation and loss. His mother, a member of the Resistance, survived World War II only to die in an accident, together with his father, soon after. Doriel was a child during the war, and his knowledge of the Holocaust is largely limited to what he finds in movies, newsreels, and books--but it is enough. Doriel's parents and their secrets haunt him, leaving him filled with longing but unable to experience the most basic joys in life. He plunges into an intense study of Judaism, but instead of finding solace, he comes to believe that …

From Elie Wiesel, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and one of our fiercest moral voices, a provocative and deeply thoughtful new novel about a life shaped by the worst horrors of the twentieth century and one man's attempt to reclaim happiness.Doriel, a European expatriate living in New York, suffers from a profound sense of desperation and loss. His mother, a member of the Resistance, survived World War II only to die in an accident, together with his father, soon after. Doriel was a child during the war, and his knowledge of the Holocaust is largely limited to what he finds in movies, newsreels, and books--but it is enough. Doriel's parents and their secrets haunt him, leaving him filled with longing but unable to experience the most basic joys in life. He plunges into an intense study of Judaism, but instead of finding solace, he comes to believe that he is possessed by a dybbuk.Surrounded by ghosts, spurred on by demons, Doriel finally turns to Dr. Therese Goldschmidt, a psychoanalyst who finds herself particularly intrigued by her patient. The two enter into an uneasy relationship based on exchange: of dreams, histories, and secrets. Despite Doriel's initial resistance, Dr. Goldschmidt helps to bring him to a crossroads--and to a shocking denouement.In Doriel's journey into the darkest regions of the soul, Elie Wiesel has written one of his most profoundly moving works of fiction, grounded always by his unparalleled moral compass.From the Hardcover edition.

2 editions

admin reviewed A mad desire to dance by Elie Wiesel

Review of 'A mad desire to dance' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

This book was extremely hard to get through. It wanders and just goes on and on and on... But the main character, Doriel, intrigued me. Like his therapist, I really wanted to know what made him tick. And, also like his therapist, I grew frustrated when he stubbornly refused to do so. So I stuck through the book and I guess the payoff was okay. It was boringly predictable: discovering an extramarital affair of your mother's . What also confused me was the fact that Doriel claimed he was no good with women when he attracted a number of them whom he supposedly shared deep connections with. I'm still trying to figure what was true or not.