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After reading Random Acts of Heroic Love, it's easy
to understand why it was chosen as a Richard and Judy Book Club pick (Britain's
equivalent of an Oprah Book Club pick). Two intense love stories are told from
male viewpoints, each one inspired by events in author Danny Scheinmann's life
and family history. Leo's story (1992) is told in third person and Moritz's
story (1918) is a first-person narration. The stories are told in alternating
chapters with two distinct voices, and twine together as the novel seeks answers
to difficult questions about love and loss.
The contemporary love story takes place when Leo, age 25, loses Elini, the love
of his young life, in a bus crash. Although Leo was with her, he has no
recollection of the event. However, as his memory returns, he remembers that he
insisted on choosing her seat, the only seat on the bus that resulted in a
passenger's death. Now in addition to grief, he deals with guilt. Because he
has trouble overcoming his profound grief and guilt, he spends his days
wrestling with such elusive matters as bereavement and the nature of love. When
he meets Roberto, a scientist, he begins to find comfort in their dialogues and
advice. "He told me that I should consider the universe like a picture. Move
one thing and the whole picture changes. Some people call it the cosmic dance."
The second love story is that of Mortiz Daniecki, a World War I survivor who
escapes from a POW camp in Siberia. The memory of a young girl, Lotte, and her
pre-war kiss motivates him to stay alive so he can find her once again -- so
much so that he walks over 3000 miles, a journey of three years from Vladivostok
to his hometown of Ulanow, Poland. This part of the novel is based on the true
story of the author's grandfather, Moshe Scheinmann. Leo's story is also
somewhat autobiographical, based on a loss in Scheinmann's life. As Scheinmann
says on his website, "I enjoy unearthing old stories that have lain dormant for
many years and breathing life in to them by telling them to whoever will
listen."
Leo's journal entries, which are placed randomly throughout both stories,
comprise a third section of the book. The journal would make a lovely book unto
itself with profound gems of wisdom from noted writers of science and
literature, such as Shakespeare, Tennyson, Einstein and Pasteur. In addition,
the journal contains beautiful photographs and sketches of animals as well as
explanations of their unique mating habits. (See Did You Know Section).
Scientific explanations of albatross, crabs and the Emperor Moth mating aren't
exactly what one expects in a work of fiction, a novel of love, but by the end
of the book this reader was in awe of the way Scheinmann incorporates these
elements to demonstrate the connection between all creatures in the universe,
animals as well as humans. The connection between the stories and the journal
entries is an exploration of the idea that in this universe "all things are
one", and as we travel with Leo and Moritz in their love-quests, the journey is
not only physical but philosophical.
A visit to Scheinmann's website
reveals his inspirations and motivations, as he remarks, "To tell a love story
is one thing, (it's all very nice, been done a million times, never fails) but
is it possible to go deeper in to the psyche of the reader and move them far
more profoundly?" Using
his ideas about oral storytelling and the subconscious, he seeks to engage
the rational mind of the reader with discussions of quantum physics and
scientific phenomenon, and loosen his or her emotional response to the more
elusive concepts of love and loss.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has lost a loved one and struggled to
make sense of the "Why?"
Danny Scheinmann graduated in Law from both the London School of Economics
and University of Strasbourgh (France). He also obtained a degree in Theatre
Studies. His acting career included A Midsummer Nights Dream for the
English Shakespeare Company and an 18-month tour with the David Glass Ensemble
in the Hansel Gretel Machine.
His greatest passion, however, is story-telling. "I have been passionate
about story-telling for 20 years. Storytelling is the foundation of all drama.
Sadly, in our culture direct, oral tradition storytelling is almost dead. We
hardly have the confidence to tell our children stories without referring to
books."
Random Acts of Love is Scheinmann's first novel which took him six years
to complete, writing ten drafts and four or five "polishes." He has just
completed the first draft of the story for film.
This review first ran in the February 5, 2009 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.
If you liked Random Acts of Heroic Love, try these:
Celebrated novelist Francisco Goldman married a beautiful young writer named Aura Estrada in the summer of 2005. Two years later she died of a tragic accident. Say Her Name is a love story, a bold inquiry into destiny and accountability, and a tribute to Aura, who she was and who she would have been.
Whimsical, wise, beautiful, magical, and sometimes even heartbreaking, A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True weaves together two remarkable stories, reimagining half a century of Polish history through the legacy of one unforgettable love affair.
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