REVIEW
One Day We’re All Going To Die is a raw, unfiltered emotional read that puts the Jewish faith, customs and conflicts on display. The cover first caught my attention. A young woman dressed in dark attire with a set of white wings behind her speak to me of elements of death juxtaposed against the light. As noted in the title and her clothing, there’s a subtle nod to the paradoxes seen in this story. The Jewish girl who falls for a married Jewish man and is used by him for his own selfish needs. Later she meets a non-Jewish man who is kind and considerate but her parents aren’t happy with her dating him as he is not Jewish. The absurdity rings clear that you cannot measure a person’s character by their religion.
This is a coming of age story based on a 27 year old single Jewish woman in Melbourne named Naomi. She is raised in a ‘consciously Jewish environment’ expected to understand ‘Jewish practices and values’ to interpret, inherit and pass on these values. And although she loves her family and cares what they think of her, she is often caught in the conflicts of their cultural beliefs and practices. She wonders why they have raised her this way as ‘her own mother ate bacon more regularly than she hosted Shabbat…’ The reason, her mother claims is that they want to give her everything: ‘financial stability, but also a cultural and religious framework’ just in case a natural disaster or genocide occurs. But since her parents do not practice fully what they preach, their inconsistencies play havoc with Naomie’s development.
Naomi works at the Museum of Jewish Heritage and is good at her job but her confidence level is quite low. We see throughout the story that her insecurities are exposed in so many scenes, with the tumultuous and sometimes self- destructive life she leads. It seems she has no will power or strength of her own to stand up for herself against men who take advantage of her. The compliance she learned at home has set her up to fail. A number of times I wanted her to show resistance but she was driven by her need for acceptance. Why is she like this? It may be that her uncertainties about herself have come as a result of her family’s restrictive culture. Naomi desperately wants to lead a normal life but does not know how. In many ways she longs to be free from the pre-ordained life imposed upon her. She struggles with relationships within and outside the family.
This novel wears a lot of loss, sadness, loneliness and despair. Such as in the failed or bad relationships, the generational trauma, the movement of death that surrounds Naomi's life. It all has an effect. But the constant drone of hopelessness is punctuated with moments of dark humour. A few short victories lift the tone to a happier place. And out of her confusion, we can see for her a second chance.
One Day We’re All Going To Die was a very different read for me. But I was able to appreciate the author’s ability and need to tell such a difficult story. Hearst knows her topic extremely well. She put us in Naomi’s shoes to experience her traumas, fears, passion and pleasure. From that tumultuous journey, we are able to feel the character’s desire to understand herself so that she can move forward and build a better life. One that still honours her family’s culture but also provides a measure of normalcy, freewill and choice. 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to publisher HQ Fiction and Netgalley for my review copy.
