The Yiddish Policeman's Union
Michael Chabon

What an amazingly written novel! I would pick up another title by this author in a heartbeat. This novel takes place in the "what if" senario of a refugee settlement of WWII Jews in Alaska. Although I did need to reference an online Yiddish translation site, I found the general story line to be very easy to follow. What really held me to this book, however, was not the story or the characters, both of which were very good, but rather to the descriptive quality of Chabon's writing. It is very uncommon these days to find fiction written with such eloquence and a gritty quality at the same time. Every person, place or event is decribed in such detail that you feel like you are also a player in this story.
Writing as this is scarce these days and I would encourage everyone to find one of Michael Chabon's novels and reconnect with the English language. His use of words is unparalleled; his understanding of true meanings gives a deeper look into our language.