Take It Slow
A fiction collection
Families are complicated. So are time, history, place, and emotion. While these are most often tools used to prop up a dramatic plot, slow fiction flips the formula and highlights the richness of the details. Describing slow fiction can be tough. It’s not that nothing happens, but that so many things happen that are part of a much larger story, arc, or lifetime. Slow fiction can root you in time and place and gives you the space to absorb the fullness of description, emotion, and ideas. This is delicate: slow fiction has a higher bar to be readable. Extra time to think demands something to think about.
The most common genre featuring slow fiction are family sagas, sprawling narratives following a family over multiple generations or across the world, revealing how time and place impact their relationships. Slow fiction set in England, Japan, South Africa, or the Lower East Side feels different: the setting has time to seep into the sentences and lend a feel to every line.
The Four Seasons of Golda Mirel, Eva Vogiel - Born in a Polish shtetl, Golda Mirel is marked for life by a birth impediment, but her lively and determined personality loom larger than life. Through a century of turmoil and transformation, times change, perspectives shift, and a network of intriguing characters form an empire, but some things always stay the same. A satisfying and rich tale with the fullness of a lifetime and the opening and closing of connections around the world.
Full Circle, Gita Gordon - A roadside encounter changes the trajectory of a family forever. Frustrated by the perceived gossip and narrow opportunities of their village, Pinchas and Faigy leave for England. When their dark and dirty existance in the East End of London leads to illness, they leave home once again to the warm climate of South Africa. The broad but detailed saga follows the transition of a family from sheltered and cocooned to modern and world-weary. Deep character sketches paint a picture of the conflicts and trials along the way, and the toll that change can take on a family.
My Sister in China, Danielle S. Leibowitz - With her head in the clouds and a third infant in her hands, Monique is grateful when her down-to-earth sister steps in, whisking the girl off to Tienstin, China. But what starts as an offer for help morphs into conflicted feelings of resentment, love, and grief that set a shadow on the family forever. As the world is lit on fire and reshapes itself through war and revolution, the family grows further apart. A bittersweet and touching story about the family connections that hold us together, despite the gaps between us.
Family Secrets, Sarah Birnhack (out of print) - After her new daughter-in-law begs to learn about the family’s history, Mirel reflects on the stories, journeys, and long-buried wounds that form the foundations of a family. A struggling Rav, his son tricked into a bitter marriage, twins fighting for survival who can’t agree on their future, a teen struggling to fit into Bais Yaakov of the 60s, her misunderstood son, and a dangerous friendship. Through heartwarming moments and character-defining struggle, the roots come together to form a strong and sturdy family.
Desert Song, Sudy Rosengarten - Passing middle age is chilling for Tzippy, an ambitious go-getter who values productivity above all else. Her life becomes intertwined with Gila’s, her only relative nearby, and she steps in when crisis arises. Gila’s laid-back lifestyle in the West Bank is foreign and frustrating, but as she enmeshes herself with the community, the serenity and simple utility of life on the yishuv allow her to reframe what real accomplishment means. A touching and straightforward story that moves slowly and meaningfully through a perspective shift.
Castle Builders, Menucha Chana Levin - A unique focus on a mature protagonist in her 70s lends to a rich and introspective read. Having survived harrowing experiences during the war and rebuilt her life, Simone is now comfortably ensconced in a familiar routine with her grandchildren, a close group of friends, and serene moments on the beach. The door to the past is sealed until she meets a young Vietnamese refugee and is inspired by her open reflection on her past trauma.
Song of Redemption, Zecharya Hoffman - Three teens escape their Babylonian captors during the first exile of King Yechanya, taking with them a cumbersome load that can not reach the wrong hands. Nesanel is brought close to young King Tzidkiyahu to provide friendship and advice, but is the only one who recognizes the validity of Yirmiyahu’s words. Throughout a sweeping historical saga, we witness the destruction of the churban and the burden left on a broken generation as they rebuild. We then meet the next generation returning to Yerushalayim, facing the cunning Cushim. We follow four consecutive generations and a complete cycle of destruction and renewal, with strong themes and subtle intrigue.
If Only (series of three), Libby Klein - An uplifting narrative of a couple in crisis and their wide circle of friends and family, all imperfect people dealing with their own packages. Between struggles with mental health, financial loss, parenting, marital conflict, medical crises, and dramatic lifestyle changes, characters face their challenges head-on, and we watch their growth over the course of the series. Detailed and slow-paced, with an added hint of thriller-like suspense that keeps the story moving. (Series best read in order)
Full Harvest, Etka Gitel Schwartz (out of print) - Period and setting meet emotional depth to form a multi-layered family drama, with beautiful writing that blurs the lines between fiction and poetry. Coming to America to meet her future husband, Gella must make a place for herself while facing a hostile sister-in-law, a distancing husband, and a shrinking sense of self. Everyone is struggling to survive, but only the unwelcoming physical environment says the quiet parts out loud.
Coming next time: More of your book requests, answered! Email your detailed book requests to frumbooks@substack.com.