Davita's Harp

Chaim Potok is one of my new favorite authors. I have read one other book by him which was also great but I am not digressing in this post. Davita's Harp is about a young girl who grows up in 30s-40s with radical parents. I found it very refreshing to read, not because of the story line, which is great, but because I have found myself desiring to challenge my mind and read on a level which holds my interest more. This book did it for me. I'm not sure exactly how to explain this book, but Potok has a way with words that draws you in. Some of my favorite paragraphs were when a character was talking to Davita and Potok didn't simply write Davita said yes but the character talking to Davita would ask her a question to which the answer would be yes. I have to give an example cause I can't explain it well.

Early on in the book Davita is talking to Jakob Daw (a writer who is visiting the family) or Uncle Jakob (on pg 62 of my copy) Uncle Jakob asks Davita if she needs anything:
"Was there something he could get me? Perhaps a glass of milk? Water? Perhaps I would like to hear a story. People sometimes said that his stories put them to sleep. Yes? A story? Good. Very good."

This is a great read. I'm not very good at explaining why but it is.