Book Review
The Lampmaker by Ian Assersohn
312 pages │ Limetree Books │ March 2025
Ian Assersohn’s The Lampmaker is a luminous achievement: a historical novel that not only revives the lost world of Latvian Jewry under the shadow of Czarist Russia but also speaks directly to the Jewish soul and the Zionist heart. Inspired by the author’s grandfather, this debut novel weaves the harrowing reality of forced conscription, poverty, and antisemitic persecution with the warmth, humor, and unbreakable bonds of Jewish family life.
Set in late 19th-century Latvia, the story follows Itzhak Yacobson, his wife Scheine, and their sons Rafael and Yossel as they desperately seek to protect their boys from the brutal fate of cantonist conscription, a regime that tore Jewish children from their families, often never to return, and forced them into the Russian army for decades. Assersohn’s narrative is unflinching in its depiction of this historical nightmare, yet never loses sight of the hope and quiet heroism that define Jewish survival.
What sets The Lampmaker apart is its emotional authenticity. Every character is drawn with such care and depth that the reader feels like part of the Yacobson family, walking the streets of Tukum, Riga, and Victorian London alongside them. As one reviewer raves, “This is a story that will have you holding your breath, crying, laughing, and cheering as you accompany Rafael and Yossel through the many challenges ahead of them.”
Assersohn’s prose is both evocative and accessible, enriched by a vivid depiction of Yiddish culture and Jewish life. The inclusion of a glossary of Jewish terms makes the novel welcoming to all readers, while the story’s universal themes of sacrifice, fortitude, and the fight for dignity resonate across generations.
For the Jewish reader, The Lampmaker is more than just a novel, it is a testament to our people’s resilience and a reminder that our history, no matter how painful, is the wellspring of our strength. In an era when Jewish stories are too often silenced or distorted, Assersohn’s work stands as a proud, eloquent act of remembrance and affirmation.
This is a book that will stay with you long after the last page, a tribute to the Jewish spirit, and a powerful call to cherish and defend our heritage. Highly recommended.