August 2009 Book of the Month.
A Bosnian, living in Chicago with his American wife, stumbles on an old news story about the death of Lazarus, a Jewish immigrant at the beginning of the twentieth century. He becomes intrigued, obtains a literary grant and with a photographer friend goes to Bosnia to trace Lazarus’ roots. Bosnia now, as then, is a dog-eat-dog place, grim and full of bigotry and fear. This is a circular tale with history repeating itself, a bleak, intelligent novel from a dynamic author much praised by the literary world.
Comparison: Dina Mengestu (Children of the Revolution), Mohsin Hamid (The Reluctant Fundamentalist), Andrei Makine (Human Love).
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
| Recommendations: |
On 2 March 1908, Lazarus Averbuch, a young Russian Jewish immigrant to Chicago, tried to deliver a letter to the city’s Chief of Police. He was shot dead.
After the shooting, it was claimed he was an anarchist assassin and an agent of foreign operatives who wanted to bring the United States to its knees. His sister, Olga, was left alone and bereft in a city seething with tension.
A century later, two friends become obsessed with the truth about Lazarus and decide to travel to his birthplace. As the stories intertwine, a world emerges in which everything and nothing has changed . . .
The Lazarus Project features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Books of the Month, Book Club Recommendations, eBooks of the Month, General Fiction, Fiction, Recommendations
The Lazarus Project is available in Paperback
The Lazarus Project was written by Aleksandar Hemon and published by Pan Macmillan
The Lazarus Project has 294 pages
