Reviews
" A Play for the End of the Worl d looks deeply at the echoes and overlaps among art, resistance,love, and history. Jai Chakrabarti is a lyrical writer, and this is an impressive debut." --Meg Wolitzer, best-selling author of The Female Persuasion "In this beautiful, deeply imagined first novel Jai Chakrabarti combines widely disparate moments of the twentieth century: 1970s New York, the Warsaw Ghetto, a pilgrimage to India. In the heat of his art these very different elements are melted down and forged into something suspiciously like hope." --John Benditt, author of The Boatmaker , winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction "An exceptional work of fiction. Expertly plotted and masterfully crafted, A Play for the End of the World is an unforgettable song that honors millions of lives lost due to genocide and political oppression. Already an award-winning short story writer, Jai Chakrabarti pens with the economic intensity and the power of observation that resurrects the past and shines the light of understanding onto the present and future. I could not put this book down!" --Nguyn Phan Qu Mai, internationally best-selling author of The Mountains Sing "Spanning continents and generations, Jai Chakrabarti's A Play for the End of the World is about love, art, performance, and the enduring weight of history. It's a beautiful, engrossing novel." --Joshua Henkin, author of The World Without You and Morningside Heights "Elegantly constructed and deeply moving, this stunning debut novel is a meditation on the emotional costs of survival, the role of art in desperate circumstances, and the redemptive possibilities of love. Jai Chakrabarti writes with poetic precision, psychological acuity, and great compassion." --Amy Gottlieb, author of The Beautiful Possible "Dazzling in its scope, uplifting in its vision, heart-wrenching in its intertwined narratives of trauma and survival, Jai Chakrabarti's A Play for the End of the World spans three continents and three decades in the life of Jaryk Smith, a Holocaust survivor whose journey is a testament to human resilience and an affirmation of the idea that art can save lives." --Elizabeth Gaffney, author of When the World Was Youn g and Metropolis, One of Oprah Daily ''s "30 of the Best Fall Books of 2021 to Cuddle Up With" One of Vol. 1 Brooklyn ''s "Books of the Month" One of Alma ''s "Favorite Books for Fall 2021" One of Paperback Paris ''s "Debut Books We''re Excited To Read" One of Jewish Insider ''s "10 new books to read in September" " A Play for the End of the Worl d looks deeply at the echoes and overlaps among art, resistance,love, and history. Jai Chakrabarti is a lyrical writer, and this is an impressive debut." --Meg Wolitzer, best-selling author of The Female Persuasion "Time, geographies and backgrounds all seem to flow effortlessly through Jai Chakrabarti''s exquisite debut novel. . . . Chakrabarti, born in Kolkata and living in Brooklyn, N.Y., creates a gorgeous international, intercultural mosaic, revealing intricate pieces readers must carefully parse. That intimate engagement promises sublime insights about survival, everlasting guilt, the many layers of longing and the challenges of learning to love. Elegantly assured, Chakrabarti''s storytelling proves revelatory." -- Shelf Awareness "Based on a historical account, Chakrabarti''s searing debut is a paean to art that transcends even the atrocities of genocide." -- Oprah Daily "In this beautiful, deeply imagined first novel Jai Chakrabarti combines widely disparate moments of the twentieth century: 1970s New York, the Warsaw Ghetto, a pilgrimage to India. In the heat of his art these very different elements are melted down and forged into something suspiciously like hope." --John Benditt, author of The Boatmaker , winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction "[An] arresting debut. . . . Chakrabarti moves the reader seamlessly through the nonlinear narrative and brilliantly conveys . . . survivor''s guilt. . . . This trenchant story will move readers." -- Publishers Weekly "An exceptional work of fiction. Expertly plotted and masterfully crafted, A Play for the End of the World is an unforgettable song that honors millions of lives lost due to genocide and political oppression. Already an award-winning short story writer, Jai Chakrabarti pens with the economic intensity and the power of observation that resurrects the past and shines the light of understanding onto the present and future. I could not put this book down!" --Nguyn Phan Qu Mai, internationally best-selling author of The Mountains Sing "Spanning continents and generations, Jai Chakrabarti''s A Play for the End of the World is about love, art, performance, and the enduring weight of history. It''s a beautiful, engrossing novel." --Joshua Henkin, author of The World Without You and Morningside Heights "Chakrabarti''s absorbing debut is an ode to art, friendship, and love. . . . At its heart this is a love story, and literary readers not used to cheering for a happy ending may find themselves doing just that." -- Booklist "Elegantly constructed and deeply moving, this stunning debut novel is a meditation on the emotional costs of survival, the role of art in desperate circumstances, and the redemptive possibilities of love. Jai Chakrabarti writes with poetic precision, psychological acuity, and great compassion." --Amy Gottlieb, author of The Beautiful Possible "Chakrabarti deftly explores the weight of history, a touching love story, and . . . heart-wrenching survivor''s guilt." -- Kirkus Reviews "A moving story on grief, surviving atrocities and finding love." -- Alma "Dazzling in its scope, uplifting in its vision, heart-wrenching in its intertwined narratives of trauma and survival, Jai Chakrabarti''s A Play for the End of the World spans three continents and three decades in the life of Jaryk Smith, a Holocaust survivor whose journey is a testament to human resilience and an affirmation of the idea that art can save lives." --Elizabeth Gaffney, author of When the World Was Youn g and Metropolis, " A Play for the End of the Worl d looks deeply at the echoes and overlaps among art, resistance,love, and history. Jai Chakrabarti is a lyrical writer, and this is an impressive debut." --Meg Wolitzer, best-selling author of The Female Persuasion "In this beautiful, deeply imagined first novel Jai Chakrabarti combines widely disparate moments of the twentieth century: 1970s New York, the Warsaw Ghetto, a pilgrimage to India. In the heat of his art these very different elements are melted down and forged into something suspiciously like hope." --John Benditt, author of The Boatmaker , winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction "An exceptional work of fiction. Expertly plotted and masterfully crafted, A Play for the End of the World is an unforgettable song that honors millions of lives lost due to genocide and political oppression. Already an award-winning short story writer, Jai Chakrabarti pens with the economic intensity and the power of observation that resurrects the past and shines the light of understanding onto the present and future. I could not put this book down!" --Nguyn Phan Qu Mai, internationally best-selling author of The Mountains Sing "Spanning continents and generations, Jai Chakrabarti's A Play for the End of the World is about love, art, performance, and the enduring weight of history. It's a beautiful, engrossing novel." --Joshua Henkin, author of The World Without You and Morningside Heights "Elegantly constructed and deeply moving, this stunning debut novel is a meditation on the emotional costs of survival, the role of art in desperate circumstances, and the redemptive possibilities of love. Jai Chakrabarti writes with poetic precision, psychological acuity, and great compassion." --Amy Gottlieb, author of The Beautiful Possible "Dazzling in its scope, uplifting in its vision, heart-wrenching in its intertwined narratives oftrauma and survival, Jai Chakrabarti's A Play for the End of the World spans three continents and three decades in the life of Jaryk Smith, a Holocaust survivor whose journey is a testament to human resilience and an affirmation of the idea that art can save lives." --Elizabeth Gaffney, author of When the World Was Youn g and Metropolis, " A Play for the End of the Worl d looks deeply at the echoes and overlaps among art, resistance,love, and history. Jai Chakrabarti is a lyrical writer, and this is an impressive debut." --Meg Wolitzer, best-selling author of The Female Persuasion "Time, geographies and backgrounds all seem to flow effortlessly through Jai Chakrabarti's exquisite debut novel. . . . Chakrabarti, born in Kolkata and living in Brooklyn, N.Y., creates a gorgeous international, intercultural mosaic, revealing intricate pieces readers must carefully parse. That intimate engagement promises sublime insights about survival, everlasting guilt, the many layers of longing and the challenges of learning to love. Elegantly assured, Chakrabarti's storytelling proves revelatory." -- Shelf Awareness "In this beautiful, deeply imagined first novel Jai Chakrabarti combines widely disparate moments of the twentieth century: 1970s New York, the Warsaw Ghetto, a pilgrimage to India. In the heat of his art these very different elements are melted down and forged into something suspiciously like hope." --John Benditt, author of The Boatmaker , winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction "[An] arresting debut. . . . Chakrabarti moves the reader seamlessly through the nonlinear narrative and brilliantly conveys . . . survivor's guilt. . . . This trenchant story will move readers." -- Publishers Weekly "An exceptional work of fiction. Expertly plotted and masterfully crafted, A Play for the End of the World is an unforgettable song that honors millions of lives lost due to genocide and political oppression. Already an award-winning short story writer, Jai Chakrabarti pens with the economic intensity and the power of observation that resurrects the past and shines the light of understanding onto the present and future. I could not put this book down!" --Nguyn Phan Qu Mai, internationally best-selling author of The Mountains Sing "Spanning continents and generations, Jai Chakrabarti's A Play for the End of the World is about love, art, performance, and the enduring weight of history. It's a beautiful, engrossing novel." --Joshua Henkin, author of The World Without You and Morningside Heights "Chakrabarti's absorbing debut is an ode to art, friendship, and love. . . . At its heart this is a love story, and literary readers not used to cheering for a happy ending may find themselves doing just that." -- Booklist "Elegantly constructed and deeply moving, this stunning debut novel is a meditation on the emotional costs of survival, the role of art in desperate circumstances, and the redemptive possibilities of love. Jai Chakrabarti writes with poetic precision, psychological acuity, and great compassion." --Amy Gottlieb, author of The Beautiful Possible "Chakrabarti deftly explores the weight of history, a touching love story, and . . . heart-wrenching survivor's guilt." -- Kirkus Reviews "Dazzling in its scope, uplifting in its vision, heart-wrenching in its intertwined narratives of trauma and survival, Jai Chakrabarti's A Play for the End of the World spans three continents and three decades in the life of Jaryk Smith, a Holocaust survivor whose journey is a testament to human resilience and an affirmation of the idea that art can save lives." --Elizabeth Gaffney, author of When the World Was Youn g and Metropolis
Synopsis
Winner of the National Jewish Book Award's Goldberg Prize for Debut Fiction - Named the Jewish Fiction Award Honor Book by the Association of Jewish Libraries - Longlisted for the 2022 PEN/Faulkner Award A dazzling novel--set in early 1970's New York and rural India--the story of a turbulent, unlikely romance, a harrowing account of the lasting horrors of World War II, and a searing examination of one man's search for forgiveness and acceptance. "Looks deeply at the echoes and overlaps among art, resistance, love, and history ... an impressive debut." --Meg Wolitzer, best-selling author of The Female Persuasion New York City, 1972. Jaryk Smith, a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto, and Lucy Gardner, a southerner, newly arrived in the city, are in the first bloom of love when they receive word that Jaryk's oldest friend has died under mysterious circumstances in a rural village in eastern India. Travelling there alone to collect his friend's ashes, Jaryk soon finds himself enmeshed in the chaos of local politics and efforts to stage a play in protest against the government--the same play that he performed as a child in Warsaw as an act of resistance against the Nazis. Torn between the survivor's guilt he has carried for decades and his feelings for Lucy (who, unbeknownst to him, is pregnant with his child), Jaryk must decide how to honor both the past and the present, and how to accept a happiness he is not sure he deserves. An unforgettable love story, a provocative exploration of the role of art in times of political upheaval, and a deeply moving reminder of the power of the past to shape the present, A Play for the End of the World is a remarkable debut from an exciting new voice in fiction., A dazzling novel--set in early 1970's New York and rural India--the story of a turbulent, unlikely romance, a harrowing account of the lasting horrors of World War II, and a searing examination of one man's search for forgiveness and acceptance. "Looks deeply at the echoes and overlaps among art, resistance, love, and history ... an impressive debut." --Meg Wolitzer, best-selling author of The Female Persuasion New York City, 1972. Jaryk Smith, a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto, and Lucy Gardner, a southerner, newly arrived in the city, are in the first bloom of love when they receive word that Jaryk's oldest friend has died under mysterious circumstances in a rural village in eastern India. Travelling there alone to collect his friend's ashes, Jaryk soon finds himself enmeshed in the chaos of local politics and efforts to stage a play in protest against the government--the same play that he performed as a child in Warsaw as an act of resistance against the Nazis. Torn between the survivor's guilt he has carried for decades and his feelings for Lucy (who, unbeknownst to him, is pregnant with his child), Jaryk must decide how to honor both the past and the present, and how to accept a happiness he is not sure he deserves. An unforgettable love story, a provocative exploration of the role of art in times of political upheaval, and a deeply moving reminder of the power of the past to shape the present, A Play for the End of the World is a remarkable debut from an exciting new voice in fiction.
