The Book of the Unknown: Tales of the Thirty-Six

This book turned out to be much more fascinating than I'd expected when I first added it to my stack at the library.

I knew the book would feature a new twist on the fairy tale genre, but I had no idea that this new twist would center on something so strange and interesting. In the introduction, the author presents the collection of twelve tales as the result of meticulous research by Dr. Jay Katz, who found a list of thirty-six names below a synagogue in Germany and went from village to village, seeking out old folktales that concerned these thirty-six people. The names are supposed to be the Lamedh-Vov (literally, the Thirty-Six), the number of righteous people that must exist on Earth, according to Jewish tradition, in order for God to maintain his faith in humanity. These people are necessarily anonymous - if any of these people learns that they are members of the Lamedh-Vov, their status is revoked, and someone else is called to take their place. If ALL thirty-six are known at once, the world as we know it will end. To maintain anonymity, their names have been replaced by letters from the Jewish alphabet. In addition, only twelve stories are included in this collection.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the righteous people featured in these folktales is that none of them are the sort of people one would expect to be fairytale heroes. The protagonists are whores, murderers, thieves, false Messiahs, fools, even golems (mud women). And yet, as I read their stories, I found that my initial perceptions were challenged at every turn. And each time, the seemingly lowest and basest turned out to be ones who taught the most important lessons.

What I liked best was the clarity and deceptive simplicity of the storytelling. Jonathon Keats shows incredible talent for telling uncomfortable truths about life, love, and relationships - something I value in my literature. Things do not always wrap up neatly in his stories. The heroes don't always live, love stories don't always work out the way one might want them to, but the message is always clear.

I also liked the chance to learn a bit more about Jewish culture. I love books that allow me to immerse myself in a place and time that I don't know much about.

Bottom line: The Book of the Unknown is a fascinating, thought-provoking, and sometimes unsettling read that is definitely worth picking up.