Jacob's Folly is a robust and brash philosophical romp in which Rebecca Miller examines faith, history and contemporary American life from the viewpoint of a most unusual protagonist.
Once a Jewish peddler in 18th-century France, Jacob awakens in the present day thrilled to discover he now possesses wings and telepathic abilities. At first, he's certain God has turned him into an angel and sent him to watch over two unrelated people, a determinedly good man named Leslie Senzatimore and an enticing but frail Ultra-Orthodox girl called Masha. After his previous life with a mentally handicapped wife and constant degradation at the hands of Christians, Jacob definitely feels he deserves honor and grandeur this go-round. Just as he accepts the mantle of seraphim, though, he looks into the mirror only to learn that he isn't an angel after all. God, or the equivalent force, has reincarnated him as a housefly. Furious at getting the short end of the karmic stick, Jacob vows revenge, setting out to lure Masha from her faith and break Leslie's unwavering pattern of good deeds.
Miller's narrative incorporates such disparate threads as the psychology of a constant rescuer, the strictures of Ultra-Orthodox Judaism and the prejudice Jews faced in 1773 France without ever showing a seam. Deep insight into her characters allows Miller to take considerable plotting risks with rich returns. Part historical fiction, part contemporary family drama, Jacob's story connects three lives in surprising ways and could destroy or save them all. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth services manager at Latah County Library District and blogger at Infinite Reads