I love it, I hate it, then I love it again. Rating The Storyteller on a scale from one to five was like torture to me. But I’m getting ahead of myself, you don’t even know what the story is about yet.

The main character, Sage Singer, is a lonely baker with a scar from a car crash that she hides from the world. She lives a miserable life. She works only at night, has an affair with a married man, has lost almost all contact with her family, and has no friends.

At least, not until Josek Weber comes along. This frail old man is a regular customer at Our Daily Bread, the bakery where Sage works, who stays late one night to catch the transit home. They soon become friends (which is a big deal for Sage, seeing as she has no friends), but shortly afterwards Josek reveals a startling secret about a crime he has committed that will dramatically change their relationship. The rest of the book is about Leo Stein (an attorney), Minka (Sage’s grandmother), and Sage piecing together enough evidence to prosecute Josek.

The story is told through the point of view of five different characters. Some of these characters, are dynamic, interesting, and descriptive, while others are so flat and cliché that I want to suffocate myself in Sage’s bulk bag of flour.

Minka’s narrations paint a descriptive, heart-wrenching picture of what it was like to survive the Holocaust (yes, this is one of those books.) When her narration time about the past was up, I was dreading the plunge back into modern day. Minka is one of the most believable Holocaust survivors.

All in all, I would recommend reading this book, so long as you skim over the sections of Leo drooling over Sage in an obnoxiously pretentious tone. The never ending plot twists keep you turning the page, though at times they seem over the top and forced. But if you’re looking for a way to pass the time, it’s not hard to get wrapped up in The Storyteller.