David Bezmozgis Natasha And Other Stories

Annotation

National BestsellerGlobe and Mail Best Book of the YearNew York Times Notable Book of the YearWinner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (Canada and Caribbean Region)Winner of the Canadian Jewish Book Award, Fiction CategoryWinner of the Toronto Book AwardWinner of the Jewish Quarterly Wingate Literary Prize for FictionWinner of the Danuta Gleed Literary AwardFinalist for the Governor General's Award for FictionFinalist for CBC's Canada ReadsFinalist for the Guardian First Book AwardFinalist for the Borders Books and Music 2004 Original Voices AwardFinalist for the LA Times Book PrizeThe Bermans-Bella, Roman and their son, Mark-are Russian Jews who fled the Riga of Brezhnev for Toronto, the city of their dreams. Natasha and Other Stories is the chronicle of their search for a better life as they struggle to fit into a foreign urban landscape. Told through Mark's eyes, these are stories filled with heart, verve and consequence. In "Tapka," six-year-old Mark's cocky game with a neighbour's beloved dog turns into a tragi-comedy of life lessons learned. In the title story, a teenage Mark faces a stark, comical and ultimately searing introduction to first love at the experienced hands of his cousin, Natasha, an immigrant from the new Russia. And in "Minyan," Mark and his grandfather watch as the death of an Odessan cab driver sets off a religious controversy among the residents of a Jewish old-people's home.Often funny and always wise, this much-celebrated collection captures the immigrant experience with striking wit and deep sympathy.