[Book Review] The Promise of the Pelican by Roy Hoffman
Click the image to find it on Amazon
By Roy Hoffman
Hank Weinberg, an octogenarian and survivor of the Shoah, is adjusting to new roles in life, after retiring from his law practice. That of widower and ‘Gradee’, grandfather. He suddenly finds himself in the role of primary caretaker to his grandson, with the help of his Honduran babysitter, Lupita, when his daughter lands herself in court-ordered rehab after her second DWI. A modern-day Atticus Fitch, Hank comes out of retirement to defend Lupita’s brother, Julio, who is identified as a suspect by a witness to the murder of a prominent member of the Mobile Bay community.
Hoffman brilliantly crafts a novel that is so much more than a crime drama. This story explores generational trauma from two angles. The first, from Hank Weinberg, who as a child, was secreted out of Amsterdam, to the United States, where he was adopted and raised in southern Alabama. While still a young child, Hank is shaped by being rounded up, by the Nazis, with his family, and losing his parents, brother, and sister. He is the sole survivor of the Holocaust out of his family of five. This experience clearly shapes his relationship with his daughter, who as an adult, struggles with addiction leading to the breakup of her marriage.
The second is from the perspective of Lupita and Julio, who immigrated to the United States from Honduras, escaping extreme poverty, political turmoil, and gang violence. The sister and brother were urged to leave, in search of a better life, by their mother. Both continue to provide her with financial support but are unable to return to their homeland.
The story also explores civil rights and racial prejudice as Julio is painted as an illegal immigrant from Mexico. Hoffman’s narrative is a contemporary nod to the Harper Lee classic, To Kill A Mockingbird, as Hank’s empathy for a marginalized young man overrules his own self-doubt.
The ending, which I promise not to spoil, is beautifully moving. I truly could not put this book down. The Promise of the Pelican is easily the front runner for the number one spot on my Top Ten list this year.
I’d like to thank the author, Roy Hoffman, for the free advanced reader copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
About the Author
Roy Hoffman
Roy Hoffman is author of the novels, “The Promise of the Pelican,” forthcoming March 2022, a literary crime novel of social justice in the Deep South, “Come Landfall,” a story of hurricanes and war, “Chicken Dreaming Corn,” endorsed by Harper Lee, about Romanian Jewish immigrants to the Deep South, and “Almost Family,” in a 35th Anniversary Edition, about a Black family and a Jewish family in Alabama. He’s author of two nonfiction books: “Back Home,” and “Alabama Afternoons.” A native of Mobile, Ala., Roy worked as a writer in New York for 20 years before returning south.
He’s written for the New York Times, Wall St. Journal and Washington Post, covered features for the Mobile newspaper, and received the Lillian Smith Award in fiction and Clarence Cason Award in nonfiction. A graduate of Tulane, he’s on the low-residency MFA faculty of Spalding University’s School Writing. http://www.royhoffmanwriter.com, @roybhoffman, http://www.facebook.com/royhoffmanwriter
By Roy Hoffman Set in turn of the century Mobile, Alabama, Morris Kleinman is a shop owner living among a tapestry of immigrants from across Europe and South America as well as people of color. Kleinman and his wife raise their family in the living quarters above their storefront while contending with war, the Great…
As a thank you for registering for our email list, you’ll receive free printable reading journal templates and a bonus 100 book reading list! Members of the email list also receive an exclusive discount code for my Etsy store: MapleStreetStudioHRS.
Submit Your Book
Do you have a book in new of review? Would you like to be interviewed about your latest project? I’d like to work with you! Please visit my Contact Me page to complete the form with your details.
Click the image to find it on Amazon
This page contains affiliate links. This means for any purchase made, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
By Evonne Marzouk When Rachel loses her grandfather, a survivor of the Shoah, during her senior year of high school, she finds herself seeking answers to questions with no one to answer them. The rest of her nuclear family is not observant of their Orthodox faith. Rachel finds herself with a large number of questions…
By Shimon Avish Set against the backdrop of the tumultuous second Temple period, we meet Daniel. At the age of 18, Daniel is abducted by Sicarii assassins. Determined to survive, Daniel finds himself forced to abandon Jewish law and to follow the ways of his captors. Daniel finds himself encountering choice after choice, shaping him…
By Marcia Falk In time for Pesach 5782 comes a new Haggadah by Marcia Falk. This new text provides the full narrative from the Exodus and provides a feminist perspective on the familiar story from the perspectives of Miriam; Shifrah and Pu’ah, the Hebrew midwives responsible for saving the lives of Hebrew babies; as well…
Welcome to my December Wrap-Up! I’ve exceeded my 2021 Goodreads reading goal and discovered some wonderful new authors. If you’ve missed any of my weekly reading lists or reviews, here is your chance to catch up. I’ve continued to make progress on my Goodreads ‘Want to Read’ list, although, a few new titles have been…
Welcome to my January Wrap-Up! I managed to cross twenty-five titles off my reading list and am already one third of the way to my reading goal for the year. I’ve had the opportunity to review three wonderful books this month and have included links to my weekly reading lists as well. Join the conversation.…
Welcome to my February Wrap-Up! I managed to cross another twenty-five titles off my reading list and am already two-thirds of the way to my reading goal for the year. I’ve had the opportunity to review five wonderful books this month and have included links to my weekly reading lists as well. Join the conversation.…
Join 5,500+ Followers
As a thank you for registering for our email list, you’ll receive free printable reading journal templates and a bonus 100 book reading list! Members of the email list also receive an exclusive discount code for my Etsy store: MapleStreetStudioHRS.
April Short Story Feature One of the highlights of my tenure as a member of Toastmasters was coordinating a Murder Mystery theme meeting. Keeping members engaged and motivated to continue working toward their goals can be a challenge. So in an effort to liven things up a bit, I worked with a few other members …
Attention writers! This month's short story contest theme is: A Short Story Inspired by Your Career Entries must be received by midnight April 24th, cst. Selected stories will be featured during the month of October. Read on for further guidelines. Short Story Contest Guidelines Stories are to be 1,500 to 3,000 words. All genres welcome. …
Read Along with Me This week, I'm looking forward to enjoying a pair of thrillers. The first is a spy thriller, The Man in the Corduroy Suit. Author James Wolff draws on his own experience working in the British government for this series. And my second selection, The Hand that Feeds You by Mercedes Rosende, …
Attention writers! This month's short story contest theme is: A Short Story Inspired by Your Career Entries must be received by midnight April 24th, cst. Selected stories will be featured during the month of October. Read on for further guidelines. Short Story Contest Guidelines Stories are to be 1,500 to 3,000 words. All genres welcome. …
Are you enjoying the interviews, book reviews, and short story features? All of this is offered at no cost to the authors I work with. Please help me keep it free by making a contribution. Thank you for your support!