THE BELIEF IN Angels, by J. Dylan Yates
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THE BELIEF IN Angels, by J. Dylan Yates
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*** Winner 2015 THEODOR S. GEISEL AWARD*** Winner of the 2015 SAN DIEGO BOOK AWARDS for General Fiction A raw and haunting, coming-of-age novel about a courageous, young girl and her grandfather who share tragedy, unique survival skills and a divine intervention. Growing up in her parents' crazy hippie household on a tiny island off the coast of Boston, Jules's imaginative sense of humor is the weapon she wields as a defense against the chaos of her family's household. Somewhere between routine discipline with horsewhips, gun-waving gambling debt collectors, and LSD-laced breakfast cereal adventures, tragedy strikes a blow from which Jules may never recover. Jules's story alternates with that of her grandfather, Szaja, an Orthodox Jew who survives the murderous Ukranian pogroms of the 1920s, the Majdanek death camp, and the torpedoing of the Mefkura, a ship carrying refugees to Palestine. Unable to deal with the horrors he endures at the camp, Szaja develops a dissociative disorder and takes on the persona of a dead soldier from a burial ditch, using that man's thoughts to devise a plan to escape to America. While Szaja's and Jules's sorrows are different on the surface, adversity requires them both to find the will to live despite the suffering in their lives--and both encounter, in their darkest moments, what could be explained as serendipity or divine intervention. For Jules and Szaja, these experiences offer the hope they need to come to the rescue of their own fractured lives." . . . a young woman growing up in a dysfunctional family and her Holocaust-survivor grandfather are shaped by their experiences of surviving pain through moments of grace. Yates shows much skill in description, characterization and dialogue . . . insightful about the mental state of abused children . . . vividly evokes time and place. Well-written." -Kirkus Reviews"A family saga . . . explores the darkest side of human nature--and the incontrovertible, uplifting power of hope." -Publishers Weekly *** Winner of the 2014 USA BEST BOOK AWARD for Cross-Genre Fiction*** Finalist in the 2015 INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS for Literary Fiction
THE BELIEF IN Angels, by J. Dylan Yates - Amazon Sales Rank: #366321 in eBooks
- Published on: 2015-03-27
- Released on: 2015-03-27
- Format: Kindle eBook
THE BELIEF IN Angels, by J. Dylan Yates Review " . . . one of the most haunting stories I have read in a very long time . . . would recommend this book to anyone who wants a solid, enjoyable but emotional read." -Kathyrn Bennett for Readers' Favorite" . . . full of raw, sometimes harrowing, emotion . . . two characters who despite odds have the resilience and courage to face whatever obstacles Fate selects.Yates has excellent descriptive skills and tells a story that involves the reader from the first page to the last." -Bookbuzz" . . . a book to love on so many levels with exquisite attention to sensory details and descriptions of the natural world. Jules is one of the most well-drawn characters I've read in a long time. Her poignant, brave, heart-wrenching chronicling of the horror she has to face makes just enough, but never too much of what she has to cope with. Yates' rare ability to represent a child, then an adolescent and finally a young adult in an honest and accurate fashion is a tour d' force. Pathos, power, history, suspense, a touch of magic... it's all here!" -Barbara Stark-Nemon author of EVEN IN DARKNESS " . . . an auspicious debut. The characters are well-developed . . . beautifully written."-Marsha Kaplan for THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION
From the Author THE BELIEF IN Angels is the first in a family saga series. In this first novel of the series, we meet Jules, a quirky heroine whose childhood is fraught with struggle and a tragic loss, and we are introduced to her Grandfather Samuel, whose former name was Szaja. In THE BELIEF IN Angels, both Jules and Samuel have dissociative episodes, a kind of traumatic amnesia they use to survive their horrific situations. For Jules, it's triggered by the parental abuse she suffers, for Samuel, it's brought on by the murder of his family in the Ukraine and his time in the death camp, Majdanek. For many years I worked as a child abuse advocate and with their attorney's. For legal reasons, after the cases, we didn't keep contact with the kids, which was difficult for me. I didn't understand this rule until I realized, much later, that many of these kids don't remember the abuse or their time during the court cases. I was absolutely intrigued by the topic of trauma-induced dissociative disorder. Our brains are so cleverly wired! I began to see it less as a disorder and more of a gift. Judging by the amount of soap operas with an abnormally high number of characters who develop it, I'm guessing a lot of people find it fascinating. As a young girl, I stood in my grandfather's apartment and asked him about an old photograph that hung on the wall of his dark entryway. It was a photo of him with many siblings I had never met nor even heard him mention. He responded that it was "better not to ask questions" Like most survivors, he repressed his trauma.Years later, I learned my mother was adopted. This family secret and the circumstances surrounding her adoption created great frustration, sorrow and anger for my mother. My grandparents and many other members of their families conspired to keep the details of the adoption completely hidden. I'm sure the reasons seemed sound and were purely protective, but the fallout overrode the good intention. My inspiration in writing THE BELIEF IN Angels,and the adoption storyline surrounding the character Wendy, grew from a desire to expose the devastating results of these kinds of family secrets and to illustrate how the power of love can completely transform a broken spirit. In an almost magically synchronistic way, during the publishing process for this book we learned a bit about my mother's biological family. While her mother remains a relative mystery, my biological grandfather's family was contacted and provided DNA evidence to verify the family bloodline. Many questions remain, so I resorted to the invention of my own history to create connection and drew upon both my experience as a child advocate and my memories of my Grandpa Oy-Oy, to build a piece of fiction around my own Jewish ancestry, that would, through my characters journey, hopefully entertain, enlighten and ultimately inspire more conversation.
From the Inside Flap "This is a book bound to prompt mixed feelings among Jewish readers. It's well-written, engrossing and offers some important insights into how horror, shame and tragedy can be transmitted and mutated through the generations." - Donald H. Harrison for SAN DIEGO JEWISH WORLD"A literary coming of age novel, THE BELIEF IN Angels is a finely crafted story uniquely told through the eyes of Jules as she ages from 6 to 18, and her grandfather Samuel / Sjaza. Jules has a strong and likable voice that takes us through the narrative of her journey growing up with abusive and narcissistic parents starting in the late 1960s. Forced into an early adulthood, she is the caretaker of her two brothers--and sometimes her parents. We root for her every step of the way as she navigates her way through an unstable home life trying to find friends and some semblance of a normal life. Above all, we hold on living each day with her, counting the moments until she is old enough to escape."-L.G. O'Connor author of TRINITY STONES (THE ANGELORUM TWELVE CHRONICLES)"THE BELIEF IN Angels by J. Dylan Yates is one of the most haunting stories I have read in a very long time and I think it is going to stay with me for a long time now. The way that the story goes back and forth from Jules to her grandfather is seamless. You can tell that a great deal of research has gone into every aspect of this book and the writing just seems to flow together. I felt invested in this story and truly felt a connection with the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a solid, enjoyable but emotional read.-Kathyrn Bennett for Readers' FavoriteThis is a story full of raw, sometimes harrowing, emotion. It's also the story of two characters, separated by a generation, who despite seemingly insurmountable odds have the resilience and courage to face whatever obstacles Fate selects to block their chances of attaining peace and happiness. Despite the grimness of the narrative this is a story where good does eventually find a way to triumph over adversity (evil) and first time novelist, J. Dylan Yates, has excellent descriptive skills and tells a story that involves the reader from the first page to the last.-Bookbuzz
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. A hauntingly beautiful story that lingers on in the mind long after finishing reading By Lucinda This exquisite New Adult novel is intricately woven and full of thought-provoking poignancy. It is a compelling literary novel that touches on human emotion, in a raw account of heartfelt sincerity and surrealism. I felt as though I had plunged into a dream world, and so lost all sense of time and consciousness as to `real' life around me. Jules is a heroine whose tragic tale is profoundly heartbreaking, and which will leave you reeling about her existence as someone raised by selfish, self-involved parents. The sense of loss that ultimately unites us with others, and our true self, touched me deeply and left me contemplatively assessing my own inner self. This is a `coming of age' story that speaks from the soul through candid, genuine nuance that's designed to reach out to the reader.The Belief in Angels follows Jules; a girl growing up in an unhappy household and whose hardships and tribulations are acutely affecting. But somewhere between routine discipline with horsewhips, gun-waving gambling debt collectors, and LSD-laced breakfast cereal adventures, tragedy strikes with the death of her younger brother--a blow from which Jules may never fully recover.Jules' story alternates with that of her Grandfather Samuel, a man with a sad story of his own. Samuel, once called Szaja, is an orthodox Jew who lived through the murderous Ukranian pogroms of the 1920s and the Majdanek Death Camp--but whose survival came at a price that's haunted him for years...J Dylan Yates' supremely singular novel is a controversial observation, which explores difficult issues that are challenging in literary fiction. It is a bold narrative full of tenderness, acuteness and exposed rawness that is highly admirable and noteworthy. As I swam in a sea of tranquillity a tumult of contradictory emotions permeated my subconscious, causing me to laugh and cry as I read this remarkable story. Not a book for the fainthearted, I would take forethought before choosing to read this book, as it will not be for everyone. An extraordinary literary work of divergence within a well-established genre, that takes you on an illuminating path of enlightenment and fulfilment.3.5 stars*I would like to thank the author for providing me with an e-copy to read and review*
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Sad and very tough to read By Lexxie *I received a free ARC of The Belief in Angels from She Writes Press via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*The Belief in Angels is a pretty tough story to read, there is child-abuse, drug use, 2nd world war story about the Jewish grand-dad from Ukraine. Jules never seems to be able to catch a break, her whole child-hood is filled with darkness, fear and very little hope. Her dad drinks too much, and never hesitates to raise his hand, both to his children and his wife. And the mom, she gets high, is an eternal student, and leaves the children to mend for themselves most of the time.I have to point out that the prologue almost turned me off of the story completely, so if you can – just skip it! Telling me how to read and understand the book, while at the same time saying there are as many different truths as there are people just didn’t ring true with me – so I’m using my very own truth to just share my view on that. Written partly as if it was kind of a diary The Belief in Angels is mostly from Jules’ point of view, but there are glimpses into her grand-father’s mind as well, and with him, the readers are taken back to Ukraine, before the second world war, and the splintering of his family when his parents brought the youngest children with them to the US.There are a lot of family secrets and hurt in The Belief in Angels, and to me, the main theme is that those secrets can do nothing but hurt everybody involved, both those who know, and those who don’t know. And keeping the secrets at bay may come at a cost that is far too much for all of them. It is a wonder to me that Jules survived her childhood, even after her father finally left, there is neglect. Her mother only cares about herself, her boyfriend and the next high, and she goes as far as slipping acid into Jules’ breakfast cereal one day, just for fun. And the fact that both of her parents are so completely unfit is what made this a difficult read for me. It always makes me sad to read about children who cannot fully live their carefree childhoods, but I think it is very important to tell stories about their lives anyway, if only to point out what to look for so someone can help those who can’t get the care they need at home.Pretty sad and gloomy most of the time, The Belief in Angles still has a tiny glimmer of hope, and trying to find that little shimmer of light along with Jules is what kept me reading, cheering for her as she grew older, stronger and wiser. The guilt she lived with because of her parents’ way of life, and the fact that they put far too much responsibility on her tiny shoulders made me tear up, and I wanted to smack both her parents, her teachers, and sometimes her grand-father for not stepping in and making hers and her siblings’ lives better. For a long time, she only has her older and younger brother to talk to, and when she finally finds some friends, it’s like a whole new universe for her.If you are in the mood for a tough, sad and very realistic read, you should pick up The Belief in Angels, it will take you through a very dark and narrow tunnel, but that tiny light at the very end is worth the painful journey it takes the readers on while trying to shoulder some of Jules’ pain.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. The Belief in Angels By Melinda The story is centered during the late 70′s with the accompanying narrative set during the 1920′s. The descriptions of both periods are well done. The transitions of the two time periods are well executed.I enjoyed this story immensely. The plot is compelling and will move the reader. The intertwining stories of Jules and Szaja are both painful and inspiring. Grief and survival brought to the forefront from two people built of strength and resilience, in the end true survivors. Learning of Jules and her family is distressing. Szaja’s survival of atrocities demonstrates mettle of toughness and courage. Both histories nothing short of brutal. Jules is a heroine as Szaja is a hero. Sharing sorrow their stories are parallel only separated by time – Jules late 70′s, Szaja covering 1920′s. You will be drawn to these two protagonists. Howard and Wendy – these two evoke anger and frustration. Their personalities and behavior are loathsome. Pitiful and disgusting set of ‘parents.’ Amazing how such poor parents and parenting created three great kids, could have resulted in the complete opposite.A wonderful story of survival in the face of adversity, great characters, the story will touch you.
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