Raymond and Hannah

by Stephen Marche

Book Overview

From a new Canadian talent who will sweep you off your feet, a love story about a man and a woman irresistibly drawn to each other despite the impediments of geography and culture. Meeting as... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156032570
• ISBN13: 9780156032575
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Harvest Books
• Length: 209 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Suprisingly good read, one to remember

This elegant story tells of a romance with nuance, charm, wit and some depth. The characters ultimately feel very real, despite the seeming unreality and coincidental nature of their meeting. The marginal notes that seem almost like journal entries on the side of the action add to the text, like a third voice in a three-part chord. Quickly, these notes become comfortable for the reader, as brief commentary on the action. The story concerns Hannah, who is Jewish and "finding herself" in Israel and Ray, who is not Jewish, a graduate student who remains in her native Canada at this time; the story describes how their relationship is affected by their separation and their separate challenges. In the end, the story also very quietly, without much fanfare suggests how the trajectory of the relationship very subtly echoes the pain and possibilities in the cultural and political situation Israel confronts with its Arab neighbors. This is a quiet subtext, yet appears to be present and nicely surfaces near the end of the text. In the end, the story may be about all such encounters with difference where there is also deeper relationship. It was a surprisingly good read, a romance with some depth. Like a fine dessert, it's sweet, a little bit rich and textured, yet not unhealthy.

A quirky, original, bold, love story & a compelling read!

Raymond is a doctoral candidate writing a dissertation on Robert Burton's "The Anatomy of Melancholy" at the University of Toronto. Hannah, another Toronto resident, is going to Jerusalem in six days to study Torah at an Orthodox egalitarian Institute. The two hook-up at a party. Neither expects more than a one-night stand. But the attraction between Hannah and Raymond is an intense one and continues far beyond one night. They are passionate together, physically, emotionally, intellectually. They laugh a lot. In short, they're falling in love and have an extremely brief period of time to do so. They are aware and stressed by the limitations of their situation. Raymond is an atheist. He expresses himself with irreverent humor, and eloquence, on Judaism, Christianity and Islam in a memorable passage, which I would quote here if it weren't so long. On the other hand, Hannah has trouble explaining her journey to Raymond, and to herself. "What it is is a program for North American almost-assimilated Jews like me, who are messed up about their Jewish identity and want to deal with it. And they tell you, this is what being a Jew is, and you are one. Oh, and here's how you do all the things that make you Jewish." Their six days together take place in her sunlit attic apartment, bare now except for a bed, like an island in the middle of the room. They also spend some time at Raymond's place, a dark basement flat, and at a cottage on Enigma Lake, north of Toronto. Meals are shared at various ethnic restaurants, and in bed. They visit funky bars, drink wine, bourbon and crantinis, and explore each other's bodies, histories and minds. Can two people find true love in less than a week - a love which will endure nine months of separation - especially when one is a Jewish woman who is going to study religion in Jerusalem, and the other is an atheist "goy?" Or is this just a fling? Most of the novel takes place while the two are apart. Their communication, and some of the narrative, is conveyed through a series of emails between Israel and Canada. However, in between their correspondence, the book offers vivid and convincing glimpses of both characters' lives. Hannah's euphoria at her spiritual and cultural development comes across with enthusiasm. She wants Raymond to visit Jerusalem during the last month of her stay, to see the extraordinary city for himself, and to learn about Israel. Both of them want to find out whether their relationship is still viable. Raymond's melancholia contrasts sharply with Hannah's exuberance. He is bogged down with his writing. Toronto is always dark and cold in winter and he, unlike Hannah, is not making new friends. Their polarities and irreconcilable differences are brought to the fore, just as their connection and similarities were initially. Yet, the couple remains drawn to each other, in spite of the impediments of geographical distance, culture and newfound, (newly made), personal problems. Author Stephen Marche us

Builds and satisfies

Raymond and Hannah seems at first like a pretentious little trip into the heart of an urban relationship. There's the very post-modern device of the author leaning into the text - in this case, he divides the book into short vignettes, emails, impressions, non sequitors and snippets of dialogue, all designed to create a layered and informative effect. Surprisingly, it works.The characters of Raymond and Hannah, and their lives as students and lovers, come vividly alive in this book. When their torrid affair ends and Hannah leaves to study in Jerusalem, she goes a disaffected and modern woman. While at the yeshiva, however, she encounters her Jewish roots and creates an identity as a Jew, a woman, a woman in a long-distance relationship with a Gentile, and a complete, nuanced character. Raymond is just as fully fleshed out. Their first week together is just as vivid, packed with the details and shimmers of Real Love that is vital in making an experimental piece of writing work. There are flaws here, as in everything. While perhaps vital as illumination to his character, Raymond's thesis is incredibly dull. The last third of the book is a touch confusing - the characters and the writing both lose a bit of focus. Overall, however, this is a charming and totally readable bit of fiction, and an interesting and modern meditation on identity, religion, finding one's place in the world, and love.

A BEGUILING FIRST NOVEL

A beguiling first novel exploring the joys and vicissitudes of love is offered to listeners in a meritorious dramatization. The voices of Raymond and Hannah are eloquent, eponymous and anguished as each pursues a dream. Hannah, a very modern young woman, is about to leave for Jerusalem where she intends to explore her Jewishness. She has enrolled in a demanding 9 month study of the Torah. However, a week before her departure she goes to a party where she meets Raymond, an intelligent fellow who is procrastinating the writing of his doctoral thesis on Robert Burton. He is a Gentile. The attraction between the two is immediate and passionate. What both had probably thought would be a one-nighter lengthens into a week long affair. Loathe to part, they resolve to continue their relationship through emails and telephone calls. They have much to share as Hannah not only probes the Torah but also becomes acquainted with the City of Jerusalem, and Raymond finds insights in his examination of Burton's "The Anatomy of Melancholy." For this listener the crux of the story is whether or not Hannah and Raymond will continue to feel strongly about each other or will miles and cultural differences prove to be too much. Listen and discover how fine an audio book can be. - Gail Cooke