by Mark Helprin
First published 2005
Marshall Pearl enters the world aboard an illegal immigrant vessel off Palestine's coast, losing his parents before he can know them. America becomes his new home, where he experiences a life of unusual privilege among eccentric characters. Yet something deeper pulls at him, a connection to origins he cannot name or understand. His journey echoes both the foundling tales of old and the biblical story of Moses, carrying him through colorful adventures that ultimately lead to a battlefield crucible. There, surrounded by violence and death, Marshall faces the ultimate test. His survival depends not on the comfortable advantages of his American upbringing, but on divine grace alone. The story weaves together themes of Jewish experience after the Holocaust, Israel's emergence, and America's promise, creating a narrative that celebrates life's power to renew itself even after devastating loss.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Palestine, America
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
560 pages · Paperback · Mariner Books