Foer’s new novel was awaited for more than ten years. “Here I Am” is a large-scale epic narrative—a book clearly claiming the title of a great American novel. A Russian reader will surely recall the famous quotation from “Anna Karenina”—“every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” For the characters of “Here I Am,” Jacob and Julia, who spent half their lives together and raised three sons, the breakdown is not just a tragedy—it feels like the end of the world. A private disaster is compounded by a global one: a major earthquake in the Middle East fuels the escalation of a military conflict. The connection of times and the connection between people are breaking—loneliness is felt with unprecedented sharpness, and everyone finds themselves alone with their fears.
From now on, the characters will have to look at their lives anew and see the gap—between the life they wanted and the one they lived.