"Everything in our universe is made of pieces. There's no one point at which anything is truly distinct."
- Rachel Barenbaum, A Bend in the Stars
A Bend in the Stars is the debut novel by Rachel Barenbaum. Set in 1914 Russia, with WWI looming, Vanya, a young Jewish physicist, is in a race to prove Einstein's theory of relativity. For if he can complete the math necessary, solving this puzzle is the ticket for his family to escape their dangerous lives in Russia and move to America.
However, his journey takes him, and his sister's fiancé, far away from home. With the help of a stranger, Vanya's sister, Miri, is determined to find her brother and reunite their family.
I would have never believed that a novel about proving the theory of relativity would be fast-paced, and frankly, interesting, but that's exactly I got with A Bend in the Stars. As the characters are in conflict with both a solar eclipse and the czar's control during wartime, this is a game of cat and mouse that will keep you engaged. The characters are likeable, and I always enjoy when there is a little love story along the way. A Bend in the Stars is rooted in real history, and this novel had me googling events afterwards to see exactly which pieces of the story are true.
I will say that to help those of us who aren't quite as well-versed in Russian geography, a map at the front of the book would have been helpful.
I look forward to reading more from Rachel Barenbaum as she grows a writer. She definitely knows how to tell a story. A Bend in the Stars is available now through your favourite bookseller. I hope you pick it up!
xo
Jenn
Disclaimer - I received a complementary copy of this novel from Grand Central Publishing and Read Forever for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
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