A Penny for the Violin Man
by Eli Rill
Circle of Life Publishing
book review by Carolyn Davis
"To all those working for Teachers Unions and those countless others who struggled during the Great Depression, a mirror image of present times"
Reminiscent of Water for Elephants, Rill's novel chronicles the events in the life of one man, Norman Schecter, by beginning in the present, and then taking the readers back to the 1930s. The book begins on September 11, 2001, as the nearly 100-year-old Schecter, with permission, drives himself and other passengers in the shuttle van from their assisted living community to his granddaughter's office at One World Trade Center, to take her out for her birthday. The Prologue gives us major clues to the character of the main protagonist and the traumas, losses, and gains that he and his contemporaries have experienced, and that all of it continues in the present.
The novel chronicles a lot of material and social loss, concurrent with illustrations of the power of strong relationships to help humans survive. Many of the characters have European and Jewish backgrounds, and so experience the loss of their family members, homes, and status in the 1930s. People who were esteemed in their homelands for their talents and status are obliged to work for very little pay or emotional reward–almost everyone is literally counting the pennies. The book provides a plethora of character studies, especially of Norman, who in America is a school teacher who must balance his humanitarian instincts with his need to make a living for himself and his family.
Veteran actor and screenwriter Rill's tour de force has universal appeal and relevance for all humans, because it describes an Everyman and Everywoman who, having survived multiple crises, continue to live and to attempt to improve others' quality of life.