Review: Identical twins separated by war, separate paths
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 23, 2014
AT GOD’S MERCY begins during the waning days of World War II as Helena, a Jewish woman in Poland, tried to flee the Nazi who was trying to kill her.  Following a chase through the woods while carrying a basket holding her twin sons, the pursuer agreed to not kill them.  She left the basket at the side of the road hoping babies would be rescued, then turned back to face her destiny.Fifty years later, Jeremiah, a rabbi in the US, received a letter informing him that he had a twin brother.  He got his name and went to find him.  The brother, Isaiah, who lived nearby, also did not know that he was a twin, an identical one at that.  Both boys had been adopted in the US but by different families.  Isaiah was a priest.The two men get to know each other while Isaiah meets the family he didn’t know he had: Jeremiah’s wife and four of his five daughters.  Jeremiah does not want any contact with his eldest daughter, Eva, because she left the religious life, joined the military, and plans to marry a Christian.The brothers decided to travel to Poland to learn what they could about their parents. Their search open windows long closed as they get closer to the truth.  What they find is a stone wall as the people in the village deny that any Jews ever lived there.  They also find anti-Semitism is still alive and well, partly for a surprising reason.There are some interesting observations: In one early discussion between the brothers, Isaiah states, “We’re both far too comfortable solving other people’s problems.”  Jeremiah responds, “Well, why not.  It’s much easier than just solving your own problems.”When one of his younger daughters questions her parents about Isaiah being a priest, Jeremiah says, “Christian, Muslim, Buddhist....what does it matter, he’s my twin!  He’s your uncle.”There are two phrases I particularly liked, referring to their first Shabbat evening dinner together, was “It was a fascinating meal seasoned with witty questions....” and he wondered if there were any original ‘lives’ since the days of the Bible.  Everything humans do in life is to repeat the paths life already written, and perhaps provide nuances in its version or any other way.[sic]The plot moves quickly and generally is logical.  Dreams and flashbacks play important roles.  There are several interesting twists.  There are also some minor parts that do not follow the Orthodox Jewish custom which Jeremiah follows.  For example, I was confused early on because Jeremiah goes home after work and has a dinner of cholent.  In most households, that is the main dish for Shabbat afternoon so I thought the story began on a Friday night with a meal that would not have been eaten at that time.Jeremiah says that Isaiah is “his only remaining blood relative.”  He seems to have forgotten his five daughters.Jeremiah is said to be reading the Bible at one point and refers to Genesis, the Song of Songs, Ruth, Kings, and Jeremiah.  Only Genesis is in the Hebrew Bible.  The others, particularly Ruth, are in supplementary books.  I can’t believe than Isaiah would have been unaware of the deaths of 6,000,000 Jews during the Holocaust.There is a description of an “imitation nurse” which unnecessarily focuses on her weight.  She wondered why two religious men would come to the nursing home since no one had died.  Don’t clergy visit residents who are alive?On the whole, the book braided several stories into one mostly cohesive whole.This book was a Free Books Amazon download.