The Same Embrace / Michael Lowenthal. New York : Plume ; 1998. 289 pages ; 8.5 in. trade paperback.
"The Same Embrace
tells the powerful story of two young men struggling against a heritage
of intolerance and silence. Twins Jacob and Jonathan were inseparable
while growing up in their second-generation-American Jewish family. As
adults, though, they are almost hopelessly estranged--Jacob is a gay
activist in Boston, while Jonathan lives the strict, disciplined life of
an Orthodox student at a yeshiva in Jerusalem. In the shadow of a
tragedy, Jacob travels to Israel in the hopes of finding common ground
with his brother. But his twin's new assurance and faith force Jacob to
reexamine his own sexual and religious identities, as well as his place
in his complex and haunted family history. An ultimate confrontation
between the brothers lays bare the shattering secrets of a legacy that
began during the Holocaust. Alternating between the present and Jacob's
childhood memories, The Same Embrace
moves gracefully from anger and alienation toward forgiveness and
acceptance. A striking debut, this novel depicts a quintessentially
American search for belonging."
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