How to Find Your Way in the Dark

by Derek B. Miller

A coming-of-age story set during the rising tide of World War II, How to Find Your Way in the Dark follows Sheldon Horowitz from his humble start in a cabin in rural Massachusetts, through the trauma of his father’s murder and the murky experience of assimilation in Hartford, Connecticut, to the birth of stand-up comedy in the Catskills—all while he and his friends are beset by anti-Semitic neighbors, employers, and criminals.

  • Format: eBook
  • ISBN-13/ EAN: 9780358270096
  • ISBN-10: 035827009X
  • Pages: 368
  • Publication Date: 07/27/2021
  • Carton Quantity: 1

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About the Book
About the Author
Reviews
  • About the Book
    "[Miller’s] character portraits are indelible, often heartbreaking. At times this novel moved me to tears, the highest possible compliment.” 

    —New York Times Book Review 

     

    With the wit and scope of Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Derek B. Miller tackles his most ambitious epic yet. At its heart is the return of Sheldon Horowitz, the protagonist from Miller’s award-winning first novel, Norwegian by Night, who was lauded by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Richard Russo as “one of the most memorable characters . . . that I’ve encountered in years.” 

     

    MEET SHELDON IN THE MORNING OF HIS LIFE 

     

    Twelve-year old Sheldon Horowitz is still recovering from the tragic loss of his mother only a year ago when a suspicious traffic accident steals the life of his father near their home in rural Massachusetts. It is 1938, and Sheldon, who was in the truck, emerges from the crash an orphan hell-bent on revenge. He takes that fire with him to Hartford, where he embarks on a new life under the roof of his buttoned-up Uncle Nate. Sheldon, his teenage cousins Abe and Mirabelle, and his best friend, Lenny, will contend with tradition and orthodoxy, appeasement and patriotism, mafia hitmen and angry accordion players, all while World War II takes center stage alongside a hurricane in New England and comedians in the Catskills. With his eye always on vengeance for his father’s murder, Sheldon stakes out his place in a world he now understands is comprised largely of crimes: right and wrong, big and small. 

     

    “For me—as I’m certain it will be for every reader of the wonderful Norwegian By Night—Derek B. Miller’s new novel is a genuine literary event (Sheldon Horowitz is back!). Miller has long deserved to be a household name. How to Find Your Way in the Dark should finally make him one." 

    —Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls and Chances Are...

  • About the Author

    Derek B. Miller

    DEREK B. MILLER has worked on international peace and security for think tanks, diplomatic missions, and the United Nations. His first novel, Norwegian by Night, was an Indies Choice Honor Book, an Economist "Best Book of 2013," and a winner of the CWA's John Creasey Dagger Award. His second novel, The Girl in Green, was published in 2017. Born and raised in Boston, Miller has lived abroad for more than fifteen years, in Norway, Switzerland, Britain, Israel, and Hungary. He now lives in Oslo, Norway, with his wife and two children.   

  • Excerpts
  • Reviews
    “In a novel that manages to be both searing and funny, Derek Miller’s characters slalom through the underside of pre-war city life, through breathtaking U-boat battles, and into the Borscht Belt at its most fraught hour, when the Jewish world teeters on the abyss. With Miller's signature blend of humor and questions that make you sit up straight and reconsider, HOW TO FIND YOUR WAY IN THE DARK puts a finger on the paradox of Jewish comedy.” 

    —Rachel Kadish, National Jewish Book Award-winning author of The Weight of Ink 

      

    “For me—as I’m certain it will be for every reader of the wonderful Norwegian By Night—Derek B. Miller’s new novel is a genuine literary event (Sheldon Horowitz is back!). Miller has long deserved to be a household name. HOW TO FIND YOUR WAY IN THE DARK should finally make him one." 

    —Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls and Chances Are... 

      

    “One of the most difficult writing tasks is to take on a dark subject with humor. Standup comics try often and often fail. Derek Miller has succeeded admirably. Reading How to Find Your Way in the Dark was downright fun. At the same time, I came away with a haunting feeling for the time-period and a deeper understanding of the difficulties faced by Jewish immigrants to America, the horror of the Holocaust, and the additional horror of its disregard by most Americans, Jew and non-Jew alike. Upon finishing the novel, I was reminded of that famous spiritual clown of the 1960s, Wavy Gravy, who once said, ‘without a sense of humor, it just isn’t funny.’” 

    —Karl Marlantes, New York Times best-selling author of Deep River and Matterhorn 

      

    “The Old Testament is the first hardboiled detective story (spoiler: God's the killer); Derek B. Miller's sly, moving, fable-like HOW TO FIND YOUR WAY IN THE DARK is Chandler by way of The Chosen, Marlowe with a touch of Talmud, ‘Judeo-Noir’ at its finest.” 

    —Shalom Auslander, nationally best-selling author of Hope: A Tragedy and Mother for Dinner 

     

    “[A] terrific coming-of-age story . . . Readers will root for Sheldon, a memorable survivor, every step of the way.” 

    —Publishers Weekly, *starred* review 

      

    “A rollicking novel that . . . follows its characters through a decade of fascinating history.  Miller has crafted a wide-ranging, years-spanning yet tightly structured plot, and he excels at placing memorable characters in unusual circumstances. An underlying seriousness lies at the heart of all of this intrigue, hilarity and fun . . . The ending of How to Find Your Way in the Dark is nothing short of brilliant.” 

    —BookPage, *starred* review 

     

    "Compelling and deeply satisfying." 

    —Booklist 

     

    "[Miller’s] character portraits are indelible, often heartbreaking. At times this novel moved me to tears, the highest possible compliment.” 

    —New York Times Book Review 

     

     

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