Here I Am (novel)
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 First edition, 2016 | |
| Author | Jonathan Safran Foer |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
Publication date | September 6, 2016 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 592 (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 978-0374280024 (first edition, hardback) |
| Website | Here I Am |
Here I Am is a 2016 novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. It depicts a series of events that impact members of a Jewish family living in Washington, D.C., which some reviewers suggest includes autobiographical elements of Foer’s life. Here I Am is the first new novel published by Foer in over ten years, and it is the first in Foer's three-book installment with Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Christian Lorentzen has described the plot as a blend of several different events, including "[a] divorce, a suicide, a bar mitzvah, an earthquake, an all-out Middle Eastern war, and the putting to sleep of a family dog".[1] These plot elements are tied together through a central narrative about the ways in which these events impact the lives of a Jewish family living in Washington, D.C.[2][3] Daniel Menaker notes that the "collage" of narratives overlap with one another at times, though they also sometimes conflict with each other.[3] Jennifer Maloney has suggested that the novel contains several autobiographical elements.[4] Constance Grady also cited similarities between Jacob Bloch, a character in the novel, and events in Foer's own life.[5] When asked to describe the novel, author Jonathan Safran Foer said, "I would say it’s not my life but it’s me."[4]
