AMAZING IS THE WORD FOR IT

For many people a book does nothing more than tell a story. But for a reader who enjoys books more than most, a novel can take you places in both time and location. It can open up worlds of wonder most of us have never or will never experience. For a person who enjoys reading, it can stir the imagination to levels never reached in day to day living. And for many of us, the beginnings of imagination began not with the best sellers list novel but with comic books. Now the two combine.

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY is the story of two young Jewish cousins who make it big in the world of comic books. The book opens in the late 1930s with the two meeting after young Josef Kavalier has made his way to the home of his aunt, traveling by way of the Orient from Prague. While Sam Clay dreams of adventure, his cousin has experienced it.

The story moves back and forth with ease as we learn of Josef’s training to be a magician/escape artist at one time, a career that nearly ended in tragedy and was given up. We learn how he was smuggled out of Europe along with the famed Golem of Prague. And we learn of his deep desire to bring the rest of his family over to the United States as well, a desire that will cloud the decisions he makes and rule his life.

As for Sam Clay, he works writing copy for a novelty warehouse but he longs to be involved in making comic books. When he sees the artistic ability of his cousin, a plan forms in his head. In an effort to create a career for himself and for his cousin, he talks his employer into backing a new comic book.

The pair set off with a weekend in which to achieve their goal. They recruit a number of Sam’s artistic and like minded friends and set out to make comic book history. At the same time, while sneaking into those friends apartment, Josef gets a glimpse of the woman who will be the love of his life.

The coupling of Kavalier and Clay results in the creation of a character known as the Escapist. Their hero sets out to fight injustice, beginning with a personal villain of Josef’s: Adolf Hitler. While their backer wants to avoid controversy, keep in mind we were yet involved in World War II, the pair insists and the comic is published. And becomes a huge hit.

Kavalier and Clay become the talk of the town and set out to create a heroic universe of heroes that will be talked about for years to come. At the same time, the novel doesn’t revolve simply around the story of the comic’s creation, but looks more into the lives of its two lead characters.

Josef is filled with guilt over the impending doom his family faces as he earns money for their escape. He draws like a madman, knowing that the more he draws, the more he earns. He takes to walking the streets in search of Nazi supporters that he begins fights with. And along the way, he finally runs into the woman he only glimpsed before, Rosa Saks.

The star crossed lovers come together at a party and are soon inseparable. And while Rosa offers Josef only a distraction from his goal, she later helps him in his attempts to rescue his family by putting him in touch with an organization trying to bring children over to the States from Europe.

While all of this is going on, Sam Clay (nee Klayman), is basking in the glory of having helped create The Escapist and realizing his dreams come true. And yet he finds himself feeling empty at the same time. A workaholic, Sam continues to help oversee the comic creations he and the crew have come up with.

It is not until the comic becomes so successful that they turn it into a radio program that Sam begins to realize something that has subtly been shown throughout the book. In meeting the star of the show, Sam thinks about him fondly. And when the same star joins Sam on watch later in the book, after we have gone to war, they find themselves attracted to one another. Sam comes to the realization that he is gay.

While both men’s tales show their own adventures unfold, most of Josef’s being in the more literal sense, they are adventure none the less. The one thing that unites them other than blood is their creation, the Escapist. And in the most literal sense, the pair are both that same character, only trying to escape something far deeper than mere ropes and chains.

The way author Michael Chabon tells his tale involves so much description of scenery and cultural icons that you feel as if you are in the smoky nightclub where Josef takes up performing again for bar mitzvahs, the radio studio where Sam watches their creation literally come to life, the streets of New York as they were at the time. And the way he defines the emotions of both men as well as the rest of the characters comes through clear as well.

It is never a single sentence nor paragraph that rings out in this book. It is the combination of pages and words that pull you in, making you sympathize with each character and feel for them at their losses and gains. It is the overall picture painted here that compels you to turn each page. The book is one that grabs you by the lapels and insists that you continue reading, even though you know you need sleep. Did I say that I liked it?

If you are looking for a book that offers more than a simple story, depth of character that is rarely seen and a tale that will touch you as well, make sure that you try this one. Then go out and rediscover the world of comic books. It still exists and has been searching for you since you gave them up for more “adult” reading.