Tell Me How This Ends Well
Author: David Samuel Levinson
Publisher: Hogarth

It’s 2022, and things have not changed much since 1939. American Jews are increasingly unsafe, and anti-Semitism is on the rise. The Jacobson family gathers for Passover in Los Angeles. Their problems are personal rather than political. The three adult children, Mo, Edith, and Jacob, are each in a state of crisis. Each of them proclaims that their problems stem from a lifetime of abuse at the hands of their father, Julian. They plan a reunion of a sort, one ending in the demise of their father and saving; they believe the life of their mother.

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This book might have more basis in reality than fiction in today's global outlook on people, cultures, as well as families of all types in whatever state they find themselves. Mr. Levinson has written a funny and compelling story about a troubled family with many ups and downs, personalities and goals with little concern for the sensitive nature of the children's plight and what they plan to do.

This story is at times, hilariously funny and downright worrisome as it often hits home in ways that most people can relate to in one way or another whether they are willing to admit it or not. The story is dark, with scenes of hopelessness and brutality. In the end, the children show that no matter what they've been through or how much they argue or disagree with one another they have the strength to overcome their petty differences.

This book is well written and compelling, it is perhaps slightly too long and for many far too dark but this should not prevent it from having an impact on the reader. Mr. Levinson shows an obvious talent for getting to the heart of a situation without sacrificing detail, plot, or entertainment value. This story is thought provoking and heart wrenching; it is also intriguing. It is highly recommended.


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This novel took me 10 months to finish reading, but I'm glad I did so even though I wanted to abandon reading. The format is broken down into long sections for each character. I think the more popular format of alternating shorter chapters between characters would have been more appealing to me. This story of a dysfunctional Jewish family was good, although there were some awkward parts when the author tried to imagine new technological devices for the very near future. ( )

I felt that this novel had potential, but maybe needed some more editing to be great. I'm a fan of dystopias, and speculative fiction, and I like the author's decision to set this particular family story in a dystopian world. It makes sense with the family drama that the author is telling. I like the details of the world, and feel the author has a interesting story to tell, but there were a few weaknesses in the writing and it feels to me as though another pass with a talented editor would prune away things that get in the way of the story. ( )

Like other reviewers, I found this book difficult to digest. Tell Me How this Ends Well is set in 2022. Israel has been absorbed into Syria following a short war during which the United States turned its back. Additionally, across the world and particularly in the United States, hate and terrorist attacks against Jewish people has become very frequent. This is a back drop to the main plot of the novel.
The story is told through the eyes of the three siblings and mother, with chapters devoted to their particular point of view. The family grapples with their relationship with their emotionally and physically abusive father. During the course of the book, they struggle to understand how their father's behavior formed their personalities and influenced the life choices they made.
This book was rather long, describing with far too much detail small events (like the death of the peacock) from each person's perspective. The hatred against Jews scared and depressed me. In this current intolerant environment where hatred against groups of people is accepted and encouraged by our president, it is not hard to imagine that we, as a society, could be there in 2022.
The chapter from the mother Roz' point of view was the best writing in the book and for that and for effort, I give this book 2.5 stars. ( )

Ok so I'm not allowed to request another book I might possibly enjoy until I right a review for this book. Honestly I couldn't finish it. I really thought I'd like it. I mean, I'm Jewish, I celebrate Passover, my dad can piss me off, I can be super snarky. It's the makings of a match made in book/human heaven and yet... Nope. I just couldn't make it through. I found the main character obnoxious and just didn't care enough to follow through. Sorry. I really hate writing negative reviews too because I think there's enough mean stuff in the world without adding bad reviewedbut that's my honest opinion and I really just want another book to review that I'll hopefully enjoy more. Sooo that's all folks. ( )