Recently, I read an inspiring novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon. The story unfolds in 1939. The world is ravaged by World War II and embarks on its recovery. The two main characters, Sam Klayman, Sam "Clay," and his cousin Josef "Joe" Kavalier , are two Jewish cousins living in New York City. Josef Kavalier is a Czech refugee whose parents spent all their savings helping their son flee Prague. At the same time, Sam Clay is a writer born in Brooklyn, interested in making comic books.

Sam discovers Joe's artistic talents to assist him in achieving his dream. By chance, Joe must also accumulate a steady income to get his family out of Prague. So they come up with the idea of "the Escapist,” a character with the Golden Key that gives him super strength and the ability to escape from any type of bond. Surprisingly, The Escapist became a colossal sellout.

The idea of escape is the overarching theme of the novel. As Joe literally and metaphorically escapes from many things, including his escape from the Nazis in 1938, his desire to escape the burden and responsibility of acquiring his family’s freedom. Joe also wants to escape the guilt he feels at being the only one in his family to have survived the Holocaust, and ultimately, Joe wants to escape from himself. Sam, too, desires escape in many forms. In the literal form, Sam has escaped the poverty of his Brooklyn home by becoming a successful comic book author. However, a life-long struggle Sam has attempted to escape was his homosexuality.

My favorite part of the book is the initial creation of the idea of “the Escapist,” as this superhero resembles many of my favorite characters as a child, such as Houdini, Robin Hood, and Albert Schweitzer. After this plot, the story took a turn to an unforgettable climax. While the shadow of the Nazis and Hitler overpower Joe’s imagination, the world of comics is also yielding. It results in a gratifying resolution of their deceptions and disappearances of Joe and a simultaneous “unmasking” that releases Sammy from the storybook world where he submerged himself.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is undoubtedly my favorite book I have read this month, captivating me with the tale of two magnificently imagined characters. Meanwhile, through the vivid recreation of New York in 1939, the story guided me to experience the fractious ethnic energy of New York City during that era.