Amos Oz: THE SAME SEA

I'm not much a fan of (reading) poetry. I almost not buy the book (The Same Sea by Amos Oz) when I scanned it and found what looked liked poetry imprinted on each page. Some pages were only fractionally filled with poetry lines. I read the synopsis at the back cover; it said the book is actually a novel. So, I went to the first page and read the poetry imprinted on it. Now, I realized the poetry indeed tells a story. And the the first few lines looked interesting. I bought the book - for only 115 pesos. Of course, from Booksale!

I didn't finish the book in one sitting. However, everytime I have the luxury of time (which is normally short these days), the book seemed to unfold itself. I found the book funny, sometimes sad, at some point angry; but, overall, I like the book. This is just one of those books that I read only while on the bus and/or during MRT/LRT ride from Balintawak to Central (Arroceros) station. Reading this way has always shortened the distance I travel frombetween home to work.

What is the book about? Sexagenarian Albert Danon, who is an accountant, lives in Bat Yam, just outside Tel Aviv (Israel). His wife, Nadia has just died from cancer. His son, Rico has gone off to Tibet to find himself. This is basically the setting: quite simple and looks uninteresting. However, the greatness of the book lies in the details and in the way it is presented.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

{3 June 2010}