The Way Back is a tale written in the style of Jewish oral storytelling tradition.  It is a story of being lost and found and facing one’s mortality even when it is a bit scary.

The setting of this book is a little vague, being somewhere in what sounds like western Europe or maybe even eastern Russian territories.  It is not set in a specific year, but it is certainly historical in nature and not set in a modern time period.  The vagueness of the time and setting does not detract from the story, and those who have ever viewed movies like Fiddler on The Roof will quickly be able to visualize the type of villages and towns where this story occurs.

The main characters are straightforward and consist of both a male and a female character, Yehuda Lieb and Bluma respectively.  Due to the dual plotlines of these characters, this book likely will appeal to both male and female readers.  The author does not spend a ton of time on character development at the beginning of the book, choosing instead to reveal more of the inner workings of character mindset as the book progresses.  

This story is a little dark.  It really is a story between good and evil complete with demons, angels of death, etc.  At times, I was a bit confused about what the characters were trying to accomplish and what the end result of the story was.  In fact, I’m still not sure I completely comprehend what happens at the end of the book.

That being said, the book was rather enjoyable.  It was easy to find myself reading as if there were an elderly man or woman sitting in a chair telling this story to me as I sat at their feet.  For those liking stories that aren’t all sunshine and roses, this is probably a good choice.

Review of a Digital Advance Reader’s Copy

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  4 religious exclamations; 4 derogatory names;1 scatological word.

Violence/Gore:  Fist fight resulting in minor injuries; woman is killed by angel of death; minor cuts and scrapes; man hit over head with pan resulting in death with graphic blood; fingernail is gouged into eyeball; grisly ghost army with depictions of bullet hole wounds and missing limbs; demon eats a miniature man; multiple instances of demons chasing, grabbing at and fighting with human characters; gun is pointed at boy; man is shot in head with minimal detail; man kicks a cat and slams against wall; verbal threat; corpses dangle from trees; demon physically beats a goblin; multipage battle with death by impalement.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

War, abandonment, death, stealing.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Drinking alcohol.