Mendel Kabakov and the Year of the Monkey

The story of a Jewish family in New York, touching on the great themes of love, death and rebellion.

It is 1968, the Year of the Monkey according to the Chinese calendar. Mendel Kabakov, a Jewish professor of American history living in New York, mourns the loss of his recently deceased wife Sonia, with whom he lived for almost 50 years. In his memory, he retraces his love for Sonia, and looks back on his own life. The novel not only recounts the story of this love, but also of the personal and family crises experienced by Mendel Kabakov’s children and grandchildren. For the younger generation in particular, 1968 is a time of upheaval, a time when rebellion against the Vietnam War and general social conditions reaches its peak. Discrimination – whether it is against blacks, Jews or homosexuals – is the order of the day. Mendel masters the difficulties and challenges of this era with wit and irony.
In a light-footed and tender tone, Steven Bloom speaks of the great themes of love and family, set against the revolutionary political and social events of the last century.