First published 2013
Sol Nazerman operates his pawn shop in late 1950s Harlem with cold efficiency. The Polish immigrant survived Nazi concentration camps, but the experience stripped away his capacity for feeling. He endures the petty thieves and desperate customers who frequent his store. He tolerates the gangster he works for and barely connects with Jesus Ortiz, his young Puerto Rican assistant. At home, he supports his sister's family while maintaining emotional distance from them too. Sol has built walls around himself, numbing his pain through complete detachment from human connection. But unexpected events begin to crack his carefully constructed isolation. The people around him start to matter despite his resistance. Through their sacrifices and lessons, Sol faces a choice between permanent numbness and the painful possibility of feeling again. This story explores how even the most damaged souls can find redemption through the actions of others.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adult-fiction
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: damaged-protagonist, redemption-arc
Setting: Harlem
Period: 1950s
359 pages · Paperback · Libros del Asteroide
Content warnings: abuse, mental-illness