Ruben Blum
Ruben is the first-person narrator and protagonist of the novel. Like the other major characters, he is actually based on a historical person. In this case, the author introduced a further distancing device between fact and fiction that he does not extend to other major characters. Ruben’s last name sounds exactly the same as his real-life inspiration, legendary literary critic, Harold Bloom. But notably, the name is not spelled the same. The entire premise of the narrative is based on an anecdote told by Harold Bloom about his encounter with the novel’s antagonist.
Ben-Zion Netanyahu
In this case, the author did not take the extra step of distancing reality from fiction by tweaking the name of his antagonist. Harold Bloom actually did welcome Ben-Zion Netanyahu into his home during the time-period covered during the narrative, though one can only surmise whether what took place in real life bears any resemblance to what happens in the novel. Ben-Zion is appropriately named since he was a radical Israeli Zionist with rather extreme views on the issue of the global historical conspiracy to eliminate the Jewish people.
Benjamin Netanyahu
Anyone even remotely familiar with world events in the 21st century will likely see the title of this book and wonder if it is about the most controversial Israeli Prime Minister of the millennium. The answer is surprisingly complicated. While the book is not about Benjamin Netanyahu, he does appear as a character. Since the story is set in the 1950’s, however, Benjamin appears as just another member of the rather rambunctious Netanyahu clan.
Judy Blum
Although sharing a soundalike name with a famous children’s author, the teenage daughter of Ruben is not a character based on Judy Blume. Judith Blum is a rebellious young woman who really wants just one thing in the world at this point in her life: rhinoplasty. She aches for a “nose job” the way modern teens ache for the new iPhone hitting the market every two years. The difference being, of course, that Judith’s longing for a less prominent proboscis is steeped in the mid-20th century concept of what came to be termed the “self-hating Jew.” Although this aspect of her story is intensely personal, it is also symbolic of the larger philosophical war between Netanyahu’s Zionist views and the Blum family’s Jewish-American process of assimilation.
