How to Find Your Way in the Dark
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- Create Date：2021-07-18 02:19:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Derek B. Miller
- ISBN：B08B3HQVWS
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Summary
A coming-of-age story set during the rising tide of WWII， How To Find Your Way In The Dark follows Sheldon Horowitz from his humble start in a cabin in upstate New York， through the trauma of his father’s murder and the murky experience of assimilated Jews in Hartford， CT， to the birth of stand-up comedy in the Catskills--all while he and his friends are beset by anti-Semitic neighbors， employers， and criminals。
Reviews
ʚϊɞ Shelley's ʚϊɞ Book Nook
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Sheldon’s taste for crime novels had changed。 They never matched the emotional intensity of the reality， and their distance from lived experience made him edgy。This book was a heartbreaking read and reduced me to tears at times， but I still felt compelled to read it to the end。 So many times I wanted to be able to put my arms around Sheldon （and Abe and Mirabelle） for the life he'd been dealt and for his courage。 It's sensitively written and shows the author has tremendous insi Sheldon’s taste for crime novels had changed。 They never matched the emotional intensity of the reality， and their distance from lived experience made him edgy。This book was a heartbreaking read and reduced me to tears at times， but I still felt compelled to read it to the end。 So many times I wanted to be able to put my arms around Sheldon （and Abe and Mirabelle） for the life he'd been dealt and for his courage。 It's sensitively written and shows the author has tremendous insight into the human condition。 Beautifully written with the characters coming to life。 Some of Sheldon's blunt language about people had me smiling。 It’s also a story that has tragic consequences leading to a vortex of despair and redemption。 The slow pace reflects that of the setting， parts of the USA rarely written about。 Those liking fast paced modern “thrillers” will be disappointed but if you enjoy good writing， believable characters and a vivid painting of the setting; read， enjoy and contemplate。 A literary treasure。 This is the first book I've read by this author and I'll definitely be reading some more。Disclosure:Thank you NetGalley， Derek B。 Miller and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own。#HowtoFindYourWayintheDark #NetGalley 。。。more
PattyMacDotComma
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5★“Sheldon was wet on the inside。 This was a never-going-to-be-dry-again kind of wet。 Every step he took was like lifting a tree trunk rather than a leg。 Every move of his arm was like wading through the rapids of a river。 Every moment that passed was one step closer to being filled up like a water balloon and then chucked off a high bridge into a wide barge where he’d explode and there’d be nothing left but little scraps of clothing and eyebrows。”Okay， so he’s a little dramatic。 He’s only twelv 5★“Sheldon was wet on the inside。 This was a never-going-to-be-dry-again kind of wet。 Every step he took was like lifting a tree trunk rather than a leg。 Every move of his arm was like wading through the rapids of a river。 Every moment that passed was one step closer to being filled up like a water balloon and then chucked off a high bridge into a wide barge where he’d explode and there’d be nothing left but little scraps of clothing and eyebrows。”Okay， so he’s a little dramatic。 He’s only twelve， after all， and he’s struggling with being made to lug sandbags to raise the levee to protect the town from flooding。 If it’s possible to be more miserable， he doubts it。He lost his mother and Aunt Lucy a year ago in a movie theatre fire， and his father was killed when the truck they borrowed was forced off the road。 Only he survived。 Then， left all alone， his house burned down （don’t ask）。 Now he’s had to leave his hometown， his school and his best friend to live with his dad’s brother Nate in Hartford。 Nate’s miserable， too， and not a very gracious host。 His wife died in the same theatre fire with Sheldon’s mother， leaving him with two teenagers。 Abe is eighteen and Mirabelle is a shapely sixteen， very much the woman of the house。 This covers a period from about 1938， when Hitler is marching across Europe and America is saying “nothing to do with us”。 Sheldon and his family are Jewish， and while he’s never given it much thought， his eighteen-year-old cousin Abe is a political creature who reads the news and collects papers and articles。 Sheldon is reminded of his dad。“Joseph liked to say that newspapers didn’t tell people what to think， but they did tell them what to think about， and it was helpful for people to share questions because it was the only way to arrive at a common answer。”Sheldon loved his dad and he’s set on revenge。 When the truck was run off the road， Sheldon got a good look at the driver， and is sure it was no accident。 He confides in Abe， who has been keeping an eye on some man in a black car that keeps parking across the road from their house。 Abe asks If the man could be Sheldon’s killer？ Sheldon doubts it。“‘My guy had a mustache。’‘He doesn’t have one。 Then again， men shave。’‘It was one of those bushy ones。 People with those don’t shave them off。 They name them。’”We know just what he means。 This guy is going to keep his mustache。 Meanwhile， Nate changed his name from Horowitz to Corbin and works at the big – and I mean BIG – Colt Armory， an enormous firearms factory。 Colt 45s and all that。 So – guns。 This is probably a good time to tell you that when Sheldon and his dad were run off the road， they were on their way back from their regular trapping run in the woods。 Their business was selling pelts for fur， and Sheldon grew up to be a capable hunter。 They sold to the Krupinski brothers， middlemen， from whom they’d borrowed the truck。 There are several threads running through this magnificent story， and I enjoyed them all。 Sheldon and Abe have their mysterious villains。 Added to that， guns are disappearing from the Colt Armory， and Abe is convinced that his Jewish father （in spite of the name change） is being set up as the eventual fall guy when the powers-that-be （more villains？） in the quite white Colt business crack down on the missing inventory。 But who listens to a kid， right？ Abe has a run-in with Roy Fowler， one of the Colt bosses at a dinner party。“‘That’s what’s happening in Europe right now，’ Mr。 Fowler said， turning back to Abe。 ‘A balancing of the power。 Germany wants its pound of flesh， and we understand that。 An eye for an eye。 Once the balance is achieved， all of this will die down。 That’s the Old Testament right there。’。 。 。 ‘The Talmud says we can’t take it literally，’ Abe explained， ‘because “no two eyes are the same”。。 。 。 This is why justice will never come from finding a balance with the forces of evil。 It will come by defeating them。’”Frustrated， Abe looks to Canada。 I was reminded of the TV mini-series created by David Simon from Philip Roth’s 2005 novel The Plot Against America about a Jewish family living in New Jersey in an “alternate history”。 In it， Charles Lindbergh， the aviation hero， outspoken isolationist （and admirer of Germany's revitalisation） becomes President of the United States。 In Roth’s story， Americans were turning violently against their Jewish neighbours， who were being forced to flee to Canada， where Canadians were fighting the war。 I have known young people this informed and passionate。 Not all teens are ignorant of the past or the possible future。 I say this， because I’m sure some readers may be surprised to hear Abe and Sheldon talking so seriously。 I wasn’t， and I thought the war worries were as real as those of passionate， informed Vietnam protestors。Meanwhile， Sheldon types long letters to his best friend Lenny， back in Whately， instructing him to read and burn all letters – which Lenny does， much to my surprise。 What began looking like a Boy’s Own Adventure becomes very much more。 It is an engrossing， engaging novel。 I did enjoy Lenny as an excellent buffer between Sheldon’s earnestness and Abe’s bitterness。 Lenny has real aspirations of becoming a stage comic， and he talks Sheldon into working at Grossinger’s in the Catskills for the summer。 [This is the place that inspired the resort in the 1987 film “Dirty Dancing”， where Patrick Swayze worked his magic and famously said ‘Nobody puts Baby in a corner’。 But I digress。]Lenny is a funny， quick， smooth-talking larrikin， as Australians would call him - a likeable kid who can’t sit still （or shut up）。“Lenny Bernstein had it all figured out。 Like everyone else who had it all figured out， he announced it with the customary phrase:’“Look。 All we gotta do 。 。 。’ Lenny’s hands were back behind his head， his feet were stretched out in the grass in front of his house， and he was looking at a cloud that — given another moment — was promising to look like a burlesque dancer’s ass。 He was prepared to wait it out。 。 。 。 ‘We’re going to start at the bottom of the top as bellhops and waiters and stuff。 We’ll make more money， we’ll meet fancier people， and I suspect the food will be great。 And there will be girls。’‘There are girls everywhere。’‘Rich girls angry at their fathers。 That’s the sweet spot。’”It’s the summer of 1941。 Lenny fast-talks them into jobs as bellhops， they put on the uniforms and blend in with the background。 Yessir， nosir， three-bags-full-sir。 Lenny’s comedy routines are funny and nostalgic， since we used to see comics like this on television。 But things take a darker turn when a jewel thief， a fence， and guns come into the picture。 And the man with the mustache。 They are still only fifteen this summer， but the way the story unfolds， it feels as if it covers a family saga of sorts。 It is full of heart， and I wanted to know what happened to all of the characters， including those in the war in Europe （yes， we go there）。I have not read the author’s previous “Sheldon Horowitz” books where he’s an old codger， but I imagine if you have， it should only add to your enjoyment。 I am particularly tickled to see the author’s thanks in his acknowledgments to my Goodreads friend， Marianne Vincent， who was an early reader and whose review convinced me to read it。 I have added another book to my favourites shelf。Here’s a link to her review。 https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt， for the preview copy。（Yes， yes， I know this is too long。） 。。。more
David Odeen
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How To Find Your Way In The Dark by Derek B MillerRating: Starred ReviewSummary: Young Sheldon Horowitz is orphaned at twelve years old after his mother and father die in separate tragic deaths。 He is sent to live with his uncle and two cousins。 Much like Sheldon they lost there mother and the father is not mentally able to care much for them。 The novel covers the next ten years of Sheldons formative years and revenge to his fathers killer。Comments: This will be considered the crime novel of the How To Find Your Way In The Dark by Derek B MillerRating: Starred ReviewSummary: Young Sheldon Horowitz is orphaned at twelve years old after his mother and father die in separate tragic deaths。 He is sent to live with his uncle and two cousins。 Much like Sheldon they lost there mother and the father is not mentally able to care much for them。 The novel covers the next ten years of Sheldons formative years and revenge to his fathers killer。Comments: This will be considered the crime novel of the year， if not the novel of the year。 Although described as a coming of age novel， it’s much much more then that。 Miller will have a couple of up coming releases to challenges his book， but it’s by far the best I’ve read this year 2021。 Outstanding！ 。。。more
Anjali
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I loved the character of Sheldon Horowitz in Norwegian by Night， so I was delighted to read this historical novel that focuses on Sheldon's backstory。 This book is a coming-of-age story about a young Jewish boy who loses both his parents far too early。 He is shaped by the pre-WWII climate of the late 1930s， including the rampant anti-Semitism and American isolationism of that time。 Sheldon is on a quest for revenge against the man who murdered his father， and his ingenuity and resourcefulness ma I loved the character of Sheldon Horowitz in Norwegian by Night， so I was delighted to read this historical novel that focuses on Sheldon's backstory。 This book is a coming-of-age story about a young Jewish boy who loses both his parents far too early。 He is shaped by the pre-WWII climate of the late 1930s， including the rampant anti-Semitism and American isolationism of that time。 Sheldon is on a quest for revenge against the man who murdered his father， and his ingenuity and resourcefulness make him seem far older than he is。 I really enjoyed the supporting characters: Sheldon's cousins Abe and Mirabelle and his best friend， Lenny， who wants to be a stand-up comedian。 There is a lot going on in this novel， but it all comes together well in a thoughtful and at times humorous portrait that shows how Sheldon Horowitz became the old man we first met in Norwegian by Night。 My thanks to NetGalley， Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers， and Derek B。 Miller for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Clmelvin60gmail。Com
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What an absolutely endearing read with humor and heart wrapped in a compelling plot line。 In 1938， twelve yr old Sheldon Horowitz is in a suspicious car accident when his father is run off the road resulting in his father’s death。 His mother died the prior year in a movie theater fire so he moves from Massachusetts to his uncle’s house in Hartford。 His cousins Abe and Mirabelle， and his best friend Lenny help him through not only general teenage growing pains， but also coming to terms with being What an absolutely endearing read with humor and heart wrapped in a compelling plot line。 In 1938， twelve yr old Sheldon Horowitz is in a suspicious car accident when his father is run off the road resulting in his father’s death。 His mother died the prior year in a movie theater fire so he moves from Massachusetts to his uncle’s house in Hartford。 His cousins Abe and Mirabelle， and his best friend Lenny help him through not only general teenage growing pains， but also coming to terms with being Jewish at the time the Nazi’s power begins growing in Europe， and in his determination to find the man who caused his father’s death。 The author’s first book “Norwegian Night” – which I just read - is about this unforgettable character as an old man。 So I guess this new book is kind of like its prequel though coming after。 Taking place in Norway， it is also filled with laugh out loud humor and heartache， but is also a bit of a thriller。 Loved it。 Richard Russo， one of the best story tellers ever， states that Sheldon is “one of the most memorable characters…that I’ve encountered in years。” 。。。more
Kasa Cotugno
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Derek Miller has become one of my go-to's， an author that I will read as soon as the work becomes available to me。 How to Find Your Way in the Dark is the fourth such book， and whereas there is direct connection to Norwegian by Night and a tangential connection to American by Day， it can be read as a standalone but definitely should be included with the other two。 There was much for me to savor here -- not many novels are located in Hartford， and as I'm familiar with that city， I enjoyed reading Derek Miller has become one of my go-to's， an author that I will read as soon as the work becomes available to me。 How to Find Your Way in the Dark is the fourth such book， and whereas there is direct connection to Norwegian by Night and a tangential connection to American by Day， it can be read as a standalone but definitely should be included with the other two。 There was much for me to savor here -- not many novels are located in Hartford， and as I'm familiar with that city， I enjoyed reading about 1938 pre-WWII and the Samuel Colt factory that still is featured in the riverside skyline。 But other venues play large roles -- rural Massachusetts near Northampton， and what a joy to have significant parts of the story revolve around the Borscht Belt， most notably， the fabled Grossingers。 There's a little mob action， a lot of coming of age， revenge， unusual family ties， historical references （I particularly liked references to Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey which I read recently in another novel）。 What Miller also has done is interwoven the fact of the Holocaust and the increased awareness on the part of American Jews of the horror unfolding across the ocean。 There is a particularly memorable image involving newspapers at resorts that sticks in my mind。 Yes this is an imperfect book in that there are a lot of anachronisms and some of the picaresque adventures may go down a bit unrealistically， but I loved this book， and if we know the ending and now the beginning of Sheldon's life， I'm hoping Derek Miller is planning at least one more installment， informing us more about the middle of his life and experiences as a sniper during the Korean War。 。。。more
Jean-Luc
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The spirit of Augie March is hovering somewhere， somehow in the background of Sidney Horowitz's life as we follow his bittersweet fictional journey from boyhood to manhood through the uncertain years leading to WWII in Derek Miller's latest accomplished novel， a captivating and devastating portrait of a nation on the brink of cataclysmic changes。 As the dangerous saber-rattling and war mongering noises are getting louder and more tangible in Europe， recently orphaned Sid will have to learn how t The spirit of Augie March is hovering somewhere， somehow in the background of Sidney Horowitz's life as we follow his bittersweet fictional journey from boyhood to manhood through the uncertain years leading to WWII in Derek Miller's latest accomplished novel， a captivating and devastating portrait of a nation on the brink of cataclysmic changes。 As the dangerous saber-rattling and war mongering noises are getting louder and more tangible in Europe， recently orphaned Sid will have to learn how to deftly navigate his way to adulthood through a series of treacherous pitfalls and life changing experiences。 Full of anger， love and humor， this marvellous novel is also a delicious and unforgettable slice of 20th century American history and the American experience that one must enjoy without moderation。。。。 Many thanks to Netgalley and HMH for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful novel prior to its release date 。。。more
Mary Lins
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Full disclosure: I have been a HUGE Derek B。 Miller fan since I read “The Girl in Green” and then all the rest of his riveting novels， so I was primed and excited to read his latest， “How to Find Your Way in the Dark”， which is a prequel to the wonderful “Norwegian By Night” and the story of an unforgettable character， Sheldon Horowitz。 （Obviously you don’t have to have read “Norwegian By Night” for this novel; though you will certainly want to after you’ve finished！）In “Norwegian By Night” we m Full disclosure: I have been a HUGE Derek B。 Miller fan since I read “The Girl in Green” and then all the rest of his riveting novels， so I was primed and excited to read his latest， “How to Find Your Way in the Dark”， which is a prequel to the wonderful “Norwegian By Night” and the story of an unforgettable character， Sheldon Horowitz。 （Obviously you don’t have to have read “Norwegian By Night” for this novel; though you will certainly want to after you’ve finished！）In “Norwegian By Night” we met Sheldon as an octogenarian， in this novel we meet him when he is twelve years old and recently motherless。 It’s 1938， and Sheldon lives in a small village in Massachusetts not far from Connecticut。What I love about Miller’s writing is his abundant wit， his beautifully crafted characters， his accessible prose style and his perfect pacing。 In “How to Find You Way in the Dark”， Miller again explores themes of right and wrong， family （particularly Jewish families）， grief， history， American culture （re: antisemitism， racism， sexism）， war， and aging， though instead of giving us the older experienced Sheldon， we get to see how he grew up and acquired that experience。 Happily， it seems that Sheldon had that inimitable sense of self at twelve， as he did in his 80s！This novel has been compared to Chabon’s “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” and I can see the connection in that a LOT of things happen in this novel; it sometimes felt like a collection of “adventures” for Sheldon and his cousins Abe and Mirabelle， and his best friend Lenny。 I confess， I missed the smoother plot progression of Miller’s other novels。Though， ”How to Find Your Way in the Dark” didn’t grip my heart as tightly as “Norwegian By Night” and its sequel “American By Day”， this thrilling story of these unique characters will not soon leave me。 。。。more
Gilrein Lucas
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Nice
Jill
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It must have been enormously tempting for Derek B。 Miller to revisit his octogenarian and cantankerous and debut character， Sheldon Horowitz。 In Norwegian by Night， we meet this retired watch repairman， haunted by his son’s death in Vietnam and his beliefs that the Koreans—he served in the Korean War—are still pursuing him。 The young Sheldon we meet here is not quite formed yet but certainly， we – as readers—gain a deep understanding of how he became the Sheldon we meet at the end of his life in It must have been enormously tempting for Derek B。 Miller to revisit his octogenarian and cantankerous and debut character， Sheldon Horowitz。 In Norwegian by Night， we meet this retired watch repairman， haunted by his son’s death in Vietnam and his beliefs that the Koreans—he served in the Korean War—are still pursuing him。 The young Sheldon we meet here is not quite formed yet but certainly， we – as readers—gain a deep understanding of how he became the Sheldon we meet at the end of his life in the former book。 Some of the same themes abound: the bonds between fathers and sons， vengeance for a murder （in this case， the murder of his father）， the tragedy of war， and the callousness of nations as Jews were being rounded up like cattle and herded into an unimaginable genocide。 Here， as in Norwegian by Night， there is a merging of an adventure novel， an allegory， and a sociopolitical musing。This book can be read as a standalone; the reader need not have read Norwegian by Night although by doing so， there are richer rewards to be gleaned。 Without reading the first book， it is enticing to compare this one to Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay。 In that novel， two Jewish cousins become major players in the comics industry during World War II， where they experience the highs and lows of fame and tragedy。 Sheldon and his best friend Lenny – an aspiring stand-up comic in the Catskills —have similar adventures and the similarities are unmistakable – and also acknowledged by the author （“I feel like this book is in conversation with that one。”）I would have liked a little less of a Chabon vibe。 Derek B。 Miller is a wonderful writer in his own right and particularly during the first third， the adventures threatened to overshadow the themes。 Eventually， I settled into the flow of the novel and the author’s compelling story-telling ability and pages begin to turn。 The YA adventure tone – a young， orphaned boy and his sidekick， out to extract revenge， take on the world， and stake their claim in life—combines with an immersion into dark times where true evil was right under our noses and the world failed to see what was beyond the horizon or immediate sight and to recognize that effect follows cause。Lastly， as a reader—and as a Jew—I am indebted to Derek B。 Miller for showcasing the heinous anti-Semitism and the outrageous view of Jewish immigration as a “national security issue。” Through the character of Abe， Sheldon’s older cousin， the author gives voice to the injustice of the treatment of Jews as “inferiors” and the disregard of those who refused to acknowledge what was happening。 For readers who have yet to discover Derek B。 Miller， let me say this: each of his novels， in one way or another， is a gem。 It was a treat to learn the back story of Sheldon Horowitz and how he became who he was。 。。。more
switterbug （Betsey）
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Miller’s THE GIRL IN GREEN was a masterstroke of fiction， where all aspects of the novel came together flawlessly—characters， themes， plot， narrative， voice—it was one of my top ten of 2016， and I recommend it without reservation。 I’m still waiting to receive RADIO LIFE in the mail。 There isn’t a Derek B。 Miller novel I won’t read， because he is usually a terrific storyteller。 In this newest novel of Miller’s， it is historical fiction portraying Sheldon Horowitz’s younger years， starting in 1938 Miller’s THE GIRL IN GREEN was a masterstroke of fiction， where all aspects of the novel came together flawlessly—characters， themes， plot， narrative， voice—it was one of my top ten of 2016， and I recommend it without reservation。 I’m still waiting to receive RADIO LIFE in the mail。 There isn’t a Derek B。 Miller novel I won’t read， because he is usually a terrific storyteller。 In this newest novel of Miller’s， it is historical fiction portraying Sheldon Horowitz’s younger years， starting in 1938 when he is 12 and orphaned， prior to NORWEGIAN BY NIGHT。 He starts quite a journey as a confused， courageous， but grieving adolescent bent on revenge for his father’s death， and finding his place in this anti-Semitic， oh so White-loving， Christian-obsessed world。Sheldon is in the car when his beloved father and WWI hero， Joseph， is run off the road。 Was it random， accidental， purposeful？ Sheldon believes it was targeted， and vows to get revenge。 He is ripped from his roots in Massachusetts and goes to live with his taciturn but well-meaning Uncle Nate， whose wife， Lucy （Sheldon’s aunt） died in a fire with Sheldon’s mother just a year ago。 Sheldon shares a room with his cousin Abe， a few years older than him。 There’s also Mirabelle， Abe’s sister， and Sheldon’s first sense of romantic yearning。 Sheldon’s best friend， Lenny， remains in Mass。， and they keep in touch by letterwriting。Sheldon and Lenny are wise beyond their years， both intellectually and emotionally。 It’s this preternatural gift for keen adult capacity that didn’t persuade me。 It felt contrived， and in a YA voice that contradicted the narrative。 It's in third person POV， so why make it juvenile？ It’s also corny and sentimental， which I suspect was Miller attempting to channel the era， but it was terribly mawkish rather than convincing。The book read largely as a series of capers， following Sheldon， Lenny， Mirabelle， and Abe as they come of age on the eve of WW II。 Abe is ruthless and has a plan for a counterplay against his father’s bigoted boss， who Abe thinks is setting up Nate as a scapegoat Jew at work （more insight than his father does）。 Lenny has aspirations to become a comedian。 His rancor for the American aversion to enter WW II provides a provocative fount of material。 Sheldon wants to catch and kill the mustached man who murdered his father， ran him off the road。 As a future boss tells Sheldon， “You got a way about you…Like your brain’s always at work and there’s more going on with you than seems to be going on。 Like you have this…rich inner life。” And that he does！I did enjoy aspects of this novel， especially as these kids try to navigate the chaos of life， with landmines like war， disaster， confusion， sexuality， and “crimes large and small。” The WW II scenes were Miller’s strength; I was captivated by their authenticity。The last 20% or so of the novel is its most convincing to me， the most compelling and tense。 The author slides in “Tikkun olam” beautifully， for “repair” and “for all of time，” “or else the world。” Earlier in the novel， the importance of homing or carrier pigeons during war is folded in。 “God chose us to receive the law and share it， not fulfill it by ourselves。 We’re God’s carrier pigeons。 Maybe that’s why everyone keeps shooting at us。” Sheldon believes in activities that improve the world， that God lovingly made an imperfect world， a Garden of Eden， where we should work it and protect it。 Tikkun olam。In the acknowledgements， Miller stated he’d like to think of this book as “in conversation” with Chabon’s Kavalier and Klay。 The problem with that is--yes， the comparisons to Chabon。 Chabon is a different kind of writer-- über literary， and flawless with historical narrative。 DARK， however， was scattered with anachronisms from the start。 Miller said he purposely placed anachronisms in Lenny’s comedy routines， but that isn’t where it bothered me。 It began on the second page with “Sheldon Unleashed” and also using “crazy” as a noun， which is contemporary slang。 Historical fiction should be consistent with its time and place， with particular attention on lexicon/language。 When these incongruities pop up frequently on the pages， it takes me swiftly out of the narrative， and over to the author behind the curtain。I also felt that parts of the narrative were strung together like Wiki pages， or with a long-winded lecturing tone。 Some of the events felt cobbled together from stock files tweaked for this tale。 And he broadcast and foreshadowed too pointedly。 Instead of trusting the reader to comprehend what a character is feeling， he often trumpeted their state of mind as a scene played out， or overexplained， when I already understood the guise。 He undermined his own irony。I realize my criticisms are plentiful。 But if you are a Miller fan， it’s essential reading， and I’m confident that many other readers will enjoy this from start to finish。 That’s the beauty of books， how it affects people differently。 Certainly I am glad I read it， and there were themes of loyalty， revenge， betrayal， identity， and justice that enfolded me。 As a Jew myself， I relived moments of ignorance and anti-Semitism by others， toward me， toward my parents， certainly toward my grandparents， （who came over from Russia）。 I bow to Miller for keeping the message going， that all humans are made to be equal。 And that prejudice is ugly， regressive， and systemic。Thank you to HMH for sending me a copy to review。 I hope I wasn’t too harsh in return for the publisher’s kindness。 。。。more
Jackie
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Sidney Horowitz， the wonderful protagonist from Norwegian by Night returns in this book by Derek B。 Miller in a novel about Sidney's early years。 The same humor and endearing personality are present here in the story of an orphaned Sidney， living in Hartford， Connecticut with his uncle Nate and cousins Abe and Mirabelle。 Sidney's experiences include living through a horrific car accident， the 1938 hurricane， and visiting the Colt armory in Hartford where his uncle Nate works。 The tale continues Sidney Horowitz， the wonderful protagonist from Norwegian by Night returns in this book by Derek B。 Miller in a novel about Sidney's early years。 The same humor and endearing personality are present here in the story of an orphaned Sidney， living in Hartford， Connecticut with his uncle Nate and cousins Abe and Mirabelle。 Sidney's experiences include living through a horrific car accident， the 1938 hurricane， and visiting the Colt armory in Hartford where his uncle Nate works。 The tale continues through Worked War II， and the reader can only hope a sequel is in the works to continue Sidney's story up to Miller's Norwegian by Night！ 。。。more
Andrew
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The best！ Derek Miller just keeps getting better and better and this book continues the story of Sheldon Horowitz，， one the stars of Miller’s earlier book Norwegian By Night。 This book traces Horowitz’ youth in before and during WWII。 The book deals with him dealing with his father’s death， unrequited love， war， comedy and everything in between。 It is a picaresque novel in one sense as it traces Horowitz life（and I suspect there will be a sequel to this book-since there is a lot more Horowitz to The best！ Derek Miller just keeps getting better and better and this book continues the story of Sheldon Horowitz，， one the stars of Miller’s earlier book Norwegian By Night。 This book traces Horowitz’ youth in before and during WWII。 The book deals with him dealing with his father’s death， unrequited love， war， comedy and everything in between。 It is a picaresque novel in one sense as it traces Horowitz life（and I suspect there will be a sequel to this book-since there is a lot more Horowitz to chronicle） but it is so much more-so intelligent and well written and touching on so many facets of life。 It’s just wonderful and a little hard to explain。 Just read it and Miller’s other books。 It’s a unique reading experience。 。。。more
Michelle
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Sheldon， as a child， seems to outsmart adults and mobsters easily and it was entertaining to see how some of the crimes play out。 While interesting， I'm not sure we needed the story to occasionally switch to Abe's point of view。 Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Sheldon， as a child， seems to outsmart adults and mobsters easily and it was entertaining to see how some of the crimes play out。 While interesting， I'm not sure we needed the story to occasionally switch to Abe's point of view。 Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Marianne
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“There was a dance tonight。 Sheldon had forgotten all about the dance。 How had he forgotten about the dance？ He had forgotten about the dance because he was busy。 He had a mafia assassin to frame， a thief to rob， and vengeance to be delivered。 These were （all） encompassing activities。”How To Find Your Way In The Dark is book one in the Sheldon Horowitz series by award-winning American-born author， Derek B Miller。 When eleven-year-old Sheldon Horowitz lost his mother to a theatre fire in 1937， he “There was a dance tonight。 Sheldon had forgotten all about the dance。 How had he forgotten about the dance？ He had forgotten about the dance because he was busy。 He had a mafia assassin to frame， a thief to rob， and vengeance to be delivered。 These were （all） encompassing activities。”How To Find Your Way In The Dark is book one in the Sheldon Horowitz series by award-winning American-born author， Derek B Miller。 When eleven-year-old Sheldon Horowitz lost his mother to a theatre fire in 1937， he and his father， Joseph battled on。 They missed Lila， even if they didn’t talk much about her， but Joseph and Sheldon were close: they connected。 His father’s death， barely a year later， meant that Sheldon had to leave Whately， the woods he loved and his best friend， Lenny Bernstein， to live in Hartford with his older， city cousins and his widower uncle， Joseph’s younger brother Nate。 Nate acted more from duty than love but， despite a lukewarm welcome from Abe and Mirabelle， he was soon sharing with Abe his theory， as earlier disclosed to Lenny， about the murder of his father， and his plan for revenge。The reception from his seventeen-year-old cousin surprises Sheldon， who expected scepticism。 Abe is an intelligent and passionate young man who views the building fascism in Europe and the anti-Semitism in America （some blatant， some subtle or even insidious） with a concern absent in his father。 Sheldon soon finds himself involved in an unlikely escapade with his cousins that nets him a snow globe of Cleveland。What follows is a marvellous tale: part crime fiction， part coming-of-age， part war story。 There are jewel thieves and fences; arson; the mob and guns and a bag of cash; B24 bombers and Nazi U-boats and thwarted enlistment; summer jobs as bellhops and comedy routines and master keys。 There’s infatuation and love and romance and marriage。 Miller uses apt headings rather than numbers mark the chapters。 His characters are multi-faceted and many are appealing for all their very human flaws and poor decisions， because there’s also kindness and courage and loyalty and doing one’s patriotic duty even when country’s leaders don’t recognise the need。 Sheldon is a thoughtful， rather earnest character whose loving upbringing has produced a young man with a strong sense of justice， one who thinks deeply on serious issues。 Some of those issues， such as the reasons for America’s long delay in entering WW2， or America’s attitude to Jewish refugees， are certainly thought-provoking but， lest readers expect a humourless tome， it’s fair to say that this book is often laugh-out-loud funny。 While there’s a bit of sitcom in there， it mostly comes from Sheldon: his inner monologue; and his dialogue with Lenny， with his cousins， with his dead father， with mirror-Sheldon。 One particular crossed-purpose exchange is hilarious。 This is eighty-two-year-old Sheldon from Norwegian By Night， but when he was still establishing his opinions， still developing his beliefs。 Readers who met and liked the rather cranky， argumentative old man in Miller’s debut novel will enjoy this examination of his early life， looking at the boy to perhaps see some of what made the man。 But more than that， this is also a darkly funny tale of wrongdoing and revenge， of integrity and principles， of loss and grief， of family and friendship。 Exciting， moving， insightful and hugely entertaining， this is probably Miller’s best yet。 This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by the author， NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt。 。。。more
Derek Miller
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