Summary
Benjamin is a man defined by the dangerous power of his own words. In the suffocating atmosphere of Czarist Russia, his 'objectionable' writings make him a target of the state, forcing a desperate flight to America. He leaves behind his wife, the anchor of his old life, and disappears into the teeming, chaotic sprawl of New York City’s Lower East Side. When a friend delivers the crushing news that his wife has died in the old country, Benjamin’s spirit breaks. In an attempt to find some semblance of stability, he enters into a cold, joyless marriage with the daughter of a temple cantor—a woman who views him with nothing but disdain. The tragedy deepens into absurdity when he discovers the report of his first wife’s death was a lie; she is alive, still in Russia, and suddenly Benjamin is a man trapped between two worlds and two lives. It is a story of exile, the fallacy of the American Dream, and the ghosts that follow us across oceans.
Synopsis
A Jewish writer in Czarist Russia is forced to flee when the government comes after him for his "objectionable" writings. He emigrates to the US, where he settles in New York City's Lower East Side. A friend tells him that his wife, who he was forced to leave behind in Russia, has died. He later marries the daughter of a temple cantor, who will have nothing to do with him. As if that weren't enough, he finds that his "ex" wife is actually still alive and living in Russia. Complications ensue.
