The Lost Shtetl

A Novel

By: Max Gross

Narrated by: Steven Jay Cohen

A remarkable debut novel—written with the fearless imagination of Michael Chabon and the piercing humor of Gary Shteyngart—about a small Jewish village in the Polish forest that is so secluded no one knows it exists . . . until now.

What if there was a town that history missed?

For decades, the tiny Jewish shtetl of Kreskol existed in happy isolation, virtually untouched and unchanged. Spared by the Holocaust and the Cold War, its residents enjoyed remarkable peace. It missed out on cars, and electricity, and the internet, and indoor plumbing. But when a marriage dispute spins out of control, the whole town comes crashing into the twenty-first century.

Pesha Lindauer, who has just suffered an ugly, acrimonious divorce, suddenly disappears. A day later, her husband goes after her, setting off a panic among the town elders. They send a woefully unprepared outcast named Yankel Lewinkopf out into the wider world to alert the Polish authorities.

Venturing beyond the remote safety of Kreskol, Yankel is confronted by the beauty and the ravages of the modern-day outside world – and his reception is met with a confusing mix of disbelief, condescension, and unexpected kindness. When the truth eventually surfaces, his story and the existence of Kreskol make headlines nationwide.

Returning Yankel to Kreskol, the Polish government plans to reintegrate the town that time forgot. Yet in doing so, the devious origins of its disappearance come to the light. And what has become of the mystery of Pesha and her former husband? Divided between those embracing change and those clinging to its old world ways, the people of Kreskol will have to find a way to come together . . . or risk their village disappearing for good.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Wonderful book!

This is a wonderful book that gives you great insight into the Jewish and Polish history and culture. I would highly recommend it.

Delightful

This was a fun book. You will love it.
I feel like I know the characters personally.

A delight!

An accomplished first novel to be sure! It could have been edited a little more proficiently but the story was interesting, funny and sad. The narrator was very good except for a few mispronunciations of Hebrew words. Definitely recommend!!

it was so interesting!

I lived the description of the shtetl and the reaction Yankel has of the big city. it was uproarious how the secluded shtetl dwellers didn't believe the city people and vice versa. it also had some sad narratives of the haulocaust that gave me pause. Overall a very captivating story.

How do we actually define reality?

(As posted in Goodreads)
Amusing, enthralling, enchanting, thought-provoking, and something that I will be left with for quite a while! What is believable? What is reasonable? Is it possible for whole shtetl to go unnoticed by history? And if so, how is the world convince that it really exists? And what is reasonable love?
I really enjoyed this book, which puts it at issue with many of the book club books which I have read. I'm afraid to say much more for fear of ruining it for other readers, but oh, it is totally engulfing and, as I say, thought-provoking. It is both worthwhile and wonderful :-)