American Stranger
A Novel
David Plante
- A
- daughter
- of
- Jewish
- refugees
- searches
- for
- love
- and
- a
- spiritual
- home
- in
- this
- novel
- by
- the
- National
- Book
- Award–nominated
- author
- of
- Difficult
- Women.Brought
- up
- in
- a
- secular
- household
- on
- Manhattan’s
- Upper
- East
- Side,
- Nancy
- Green
- knows
- suspiciously
- little
- about
- her
- parents’
- past.
- She
- knows
- they
- escaped
- Germany,
- avoiding
- the
- fate
- of
- so
- many
- of
- their
- fellow
- Jews
- during
- World
- War
- II,
- but
- the
- few
- family
- heirlooms
- they
- brought
- to
- the
- United
- States
- are
- reminders
- of
- a
- lost
- life
- that,
- for
- Nancy,
- remains
- shrouded
- in
- mystery.
- She
- seeks
- connection
- and
- a
- sense
- of
- belonging,
- a
- relationship
- in
- which
- she
- can
- find
- some
- sort
- of
- religious
- fulfillment.Unfortunately,
- Nancy’s
- first
- encounter
- is
- with
- a
- Hasidic
- man
- who,
- dissatisfied
- with
- Judaism,
- has
- taken
- vows
- to
- become
- a
- monk.
- Then,
- while
- studying
- English
- literature
- in
- Boston,
- she
- meets
- a
- Catholic
- boy
- who
- captures
- her
- interest,
- but
- he’s
- desperate
- to
- escape
- his
- overbearing
- mother
- and
- the
- clutches
- of
- the
- Church.After
- a
- devastating
- breakup,
- Nancy
- finally
- settles
- down
- with
- a
- husband
- whose
- background
- and
- beliefs
- seem
- at
- least
- similar
- to
- her
- own.
- Perhaps
- now
- she’ll
- stop
- yearning
- for
- something
- more,
- and
- trade
- volatility
- and
- heartbreak
- for
- a
- sensible,
- practical
- life.
- But
- forcing
- a
- fit—into
- a
- society,
- a
- sect,
- a
- family,
- or
- even
- a
- marriage—isn’t
- easy
- for
- anyone,
- and
- Nancy
- still
- has
- a
- long
- way
- to
- travel
- before
- she
- finds
- her
- true
- home.From
- an
- acclaimed
- author
- of
- both
- fiction
- and
- memoirs,
- including
- National
- Book
- Award
- finalist
- The
- Family,
- American
- Stranger
- is
- a
- wise
- and
- insightful
- story
- about
- the
- search
- for
- identity,
- and
- how
- our
- real
- lives
- are
- far
- more
- complex
- than
- our
- labels.“Plante
- .
- .
- .
- is
- always
- worth
- reading.”
- —The
- Washington Post
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