There is something about this book that appealed to me greatly. Those who hand out awards may not think it as Pulitzer material, but I think this story is human material. Then maybe, I like the so-called idiots because I likened the main character, Raymond Jaffe, to Dostoyevski's Idiot, Prince Myshkin, and that's why the five stars.

The second important character, the old lady Mrs. G. or Mildred “Millie” Gutermann, was also important as a catalyst and as a wise-cracking teacher figure who was helpful to Raymond. In fact, all characters in the story were different in their psychological make-up but all with good sides and flaws. They all helped make the story a success.

In the story, sixteen-year-old Jaffe feels he doesn’t fit in well with his family or most of his schoolmates. He is a loner and an outcast. Around the time when his only friend Andre moves to California and he is left totally friendless, except for a cat he feeds in a condemned building, Raymond meets a blind, ninety-two-year-old lady who has been living in the same apartment building. The woman asks him if he has seen Luis Velez.

Raymond learns that Luis Velez was this old lady Millie Gutermann’s caretaker and he hasn’t been around for a long time. Since he wasn’t around, Millie doesn’t have food and has no way to fend for herself because she cannot see enough to go to the bank alone and to buy groceries. Thus, Raymond takes over himself the care of the old woman, and also, without telling her in the beginning, he begins to search for Luis Velez. He does this to figure out why Luis Velez left Millie so suddenly.

Because the setting is New York City, Raymond finds about twenty people who are named Luis Velez. When some of the other Luis Velezes and their families find out what Raymond is trying to do, they befriend him. Finally, Raymond finds out that the Luis Velez who took care of Millie was murdered by a hearing-disabled woman who mistook Luis for a thief. The tragic news affects Millie, making her feel depressed, even though at this time, Raymond is caring for her and has even brought her the cat to keep her company, the cat he had been feeding in the condemned building which he later rescued from the hands of a cruel person.

The trial of Luis Velez’s murder deeply involves Millie, Raymond, and Luis’s young wife and three children. In the end, Raymond learns more about Millie’s past and her Holocaust experience which left her with an ongoing sadness and survivor’s guilt. Just like Millie helped Raymond to see into himself at the beginning of the story, in the end, Raymond helps her to find a renewed hope in the world.

More important than what happens in the story, are its several themes, such as compassion, love, kindness, friendship, acceptance, hope, and family, together with the personal biases of the characters and how those biases shape the story. All these themes and ideas are masterfully injected into the plot, and except for a few rare instances where Millie’s advice to Raymond sounds like a sermon, the story flows well.

The point of view is that of Raymond’s. This may present the book as a coming-of-age novel, but there are subplots and ideas in it that may involve all ages. At the end of the novel, almost all characters show some change, which is a very welcome occurrence for sure.

enjoyment and also a feel-good experience.

How Raymond as the main character was the unlikely hero throughout the story.

is Catherine Ryan Hyde, the author of more than thirty books, such as, 365 Days of Gratitude: Photos from a Beautiful World, The Language of Hoofbeats, Becoming Chloe, Jumpstart the World, Dog Is My Co-Pilot, and Pay It Forward.

I liked reading it, especially because of the characters, who despite their personal flaws, learned to look at things from other perspectives at the end.

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Created Feb 01, 2020 at 9:05pm • Submit your own review...