Starting when he was just a boy, the book tells of how Jacob was taken under the wing of a skilled pickpocket and how he in turn takes on Bill Sikes. And how, over time, he becomes the caregiver for a small group of young boys. It’s the little things that made the difference with this book. I liked that Epstein always refers to him as Jacob, not Fagin.
The book is told from an omniscient POV, although mostly Jacob’s. Despite how onerous Dickens painted Fagin, here you can sympathize with him. He’s a man just doing what he needs to survive and in the process, helping others. In fact, the book turns on its head almost every character from Oliver Twist. Even Bullseye is made into a sympathetic character, while Oliver is not an innocent.
Only Bill Sikes remains truly evil, but we are given the ability to feel small bits of empathy even for him. In the Author’s Note, Epstein refers to the Fagin problem, as Dickens’ Fagin is a caricature of the evil Jew. I applaud her for making him human, for extending the same sympathy to him that Dickens did to the young urchins of the street.
This is the first book I’ve read by Epstein, but I hope to rectify that. I listened to this and Will Watt was a fabulous narrator, taking my enjoyment of this story up a notch.
