Live a Little | Book Review | 2019 | Howard Jacobson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Howard Jacobson is an acclaimed British novelist and essayist known for his distinctive blend of humor and pathos. His works often explore themes of identity and love. Born on August 25, 1942, in Manchester, England, Jacobson has carved out a niche for himself in the literary world with his insightful, often comic, examination of life. A late bloomer in the literary world, Jacobson published his first novel, Coming from Behind, in 1983, when he was already in his forties. Since then he has become one of the United Kingdom’s most respected and accomplished authors. In 2010, he even won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for The Finkler Question. Jacobson’s works frequently address aspects of contemporary Jewish life. However, his appeal is universal, touching on the broader human experience with wit and depth.

SYNOPSIS

In the heart of north London, Live a Little by Howard Jacobson unfurls the poignant, humorous tale of Beryl Dusinbery and Shimi Carmelli, two nonagenarians whose late-in-life encounter offers a refreshingly candid exploration of memory, mortality, and the unexpected blossoming of love.

At ninety-nine, Beryl battles the encroaching shadows of forgetfulness. She makes defiant, sometimes hilarious, attempts at preserving her past through meticulous documentation. She is a brash, extroverted linguist obsessed with categorizing words and correcting grammar. Beryl also obsessively engages in embroidery, stitching with precision as a way to combat her fear of death and forgetfulness. This endeavor brings to light her struggle against her inevitable demise, even as she remains intellectually vibrant and socially active.

Beryl’s life narrative is significantly defined by her extensive romantic history. This includes numerous affairs and marriages. This aspect of her character not only underscores her extroverted nature, but also her complex approach to relationships. Her affairs, a testament to her pursuit of connection and understanding, and her marriages, ranging from passionate to pragmatic, reveal the multifaceted dimensions of her personality. Despite the varying outcomes of these relationships, they collectively signify Beryl’s enduring optimism. Her whimsical self-designation as Princess Schweppessodawasser reflects a desperate attempt to infuse humor into her fading existence. This, in a way, highlights the novel’s exploration of comedy as a salve for the soul’s ailments.

Her interactions with her caregivers, Euphoria and Nastya, further illuminate the nuances of dependency and dignity in one’s later years. These relationships, marked by moments of humor and brashness, showcase Beryl’s need for autonomy and connection.

Beryl’s character is imbued with a biting cynicism and quick wit. It serves as both a shield and a means of engagement with her surroundings. This tone, reflective of her life experiences and critical perspective, add depth to her character.

Across the road lives Shimi Carmelli, 91, of Italian-Jewish descent, who has a condition known as selective morbid hyperthymesia – she remembers everything in detail and bears the burdens of an unyielding memory. This sets him apart in a society that often looks forward with anticipation and backward with selective nostalgia.

Shimi’s early life was marked by a profound sense of otherness, not only due to his unique memory but also because of his heritage, which adds layers of cultural and existential complexity to his identity. A peculiar shame haunts him since his childhood, centered around his fascination with his mother’s bloomers. This detail underscores the depth of his memory and the weight of the guilt he carried into his adulthood.

The narrative reveals that Shimi’s brother, Ephraim, served as a constant, albeit absent, presence in his life. The way Ephraim faithfully looked after their dying mother and their father’s subsequent abandonment leave Shimi grappling with feelings of inadequacy and loss. The brothers’ divergent paths and several years of separation further accentuate the theme of isolation in Shimi’s story. This reminds the readers of the emotional and existential distances that time and our choices can bring about.

Professionally, Shimi once owned a shop, Shimi’s of Stanmore. However, later in life, he found a peculiar solace in the ancient art of cartomancy, doing fortune-reading for the widows of north London. This not only keeps him engaged with the world around him, but also serves as a metaphor for his introspective journey, seeking meaning and connection through the cards’ symbolism amid his chaotic memories.

Despite his advanced age, Shimi’s interactions with the women who admire his independence and physical capability reflect society’s perceptions of ageing and desirability.

Shimi Carmelli and Beryl Dusinbery’s paths cross at the funeral service for Ephraim. Struggling with her fragmented memory, Beryl points out that Ephraim once ‘saved’ her son. This intrigues Shimi, whose detailed memory contrasts sharply with Beryl’s forgetfulness. This revelation sparks a curious connection between them. The two meet regularly as they attempt to piece together Ephraim’s upbringing and how he became the man he was. Through these interactions, Beryl and Shimi navigate the challenges of their disparate experiences of memory – Beryl, in an attempt at clutching on to hers, and Shimi, overwhelmed by the precision of his own.

As their relationship blossoms, it becomes a journey of mutual discovery and understanding. The duo discover that they have a shared revulsion against human beings – while Shimi’s has more to do with the human body, Beryl’s repugnance stems from her human interactions. Shimi never tied the knot, while Beryl tied it too often for her liking, to the point that she no longer believes in love. They offer each other a unique perspective on life. For Beryl, Shimi becomes a link to her hazy past. Meanwhile, for Shimi, Beryl symbolizes a form of release from the burden of his unforgiving memory.

WHAT WE LIKED ABOUT LIVE A LITTLE

Live a Little stands out due to its insightful characterization and biting humor. What makes this book so powerful is how it gracefully and humorously tackles the degrading aspects of ageing. To his credit, Jacobson does so without a hint of disrespect to the protagonists’ dignity. The wit and elegance he uses to expose the ridiculousness of life make this book a joy to read.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER ABOUT LIVE A LITTLE

Despite its witty take on ageing, Live a Little occasionally falters. This is especially glaring in Beryl and Shimi’s drawn-out dialogues, which may test readers’ patience more often than they would have liked.

QUOTES

I exaggerate but only to revive the dying art of hyperbole.

What they call dementia, she has decided, is nothing but a failure to maintain a comprehensive filing system. And what they call losing your mind is forgetting to use it.

CONCLUSION