Summary of André Aciman's Out of Egypt

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 Uncle Vili was a proud Italian who had served in the Italian army during World War I. He was always bragging about his service, and he took credit for everything, down to the unforeseen brilliance of his most hapless schemes.

#2 Uncle Vili knew how to convey that intangible though unmistakable feeling that he had lineage, which came with the suggestion of wealth. He was intolerant of poor posture and bad table manners, and he detested what he called the atavisms by which Jews gave themselves away.

#3 Vili was a brilliant peddler, and after the war, he was given a Georgian estate in Surrey, where he lived in lordly penury under the assumed name of Dr. H. M. Spingarn. He was as devoted to Il Duce as he was to the Pope.

#4 He was a consummate marksman, a remarkable athlete, a shrewd businessman, and a relentless womanizer. He would use this phrase after negotiating a difficult transaction: Didn’t I warn them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Feb 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669354000

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on André Aciman's Out of Egypt

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Uncle Vili was a proud Italian who had served in the Italian army during World War I. He was always bragging about his service, and he took credit for everything, down to the unforeseen brilliance of his most hapless schemes.

#2

Uncle Vili knew how to convey that intangible though unmistakable feeling that he had lineage, which came with the suggestion of wealth. He was intolerant of poor posture and bad table manners, and he detested what he called the atavisms by which Jews gave themselves away.

#3

Vili was a brilliant peddler, and after the war, he was given a Georgian estate in Surrey, where he lived in lordly penury under the assumed name of Dr. H. M. Spingarn. He was as devoted to Il Duce as he was to the Pope.

#4

He was a consummate marksman, a remarkable athlete, a shrewd businessman, and a relentless womanizer. He would use this phrase after negotiating a difficult transaction: Didn’t I warn them.

#5

Aunt Marta’s marriage crises were known to last for hours. She had such pounding headaches that she would put herself to sleep early in the afternoon and not dare show her face until the next morning, when she would ask someone to look at her eyes and tell her if they were puffy.

#6

The Schwab was a rich Jewish man who was married to Aunt Marta. He was a diffident man who had never worked a day in his life, but he was able to treble his family’s fortune on the sugar exchange in two years.

#7

The family emigrated to Japan in 1930, and the brothers sold cars there. The Japanese had three advantages: they were hardworking, they were eager to learn and compete, and they had never seen Jews before.

#8

The Isotta-Fraschini family was extremely wealthy, but they were also extremely vain. They kept up appearances, and their members were often seen Sundaying in the king’s gardens or arriving in chauffeured cars at the exclusive Sporting Club, but they were flat broke.

#9

Vili’s name was Aaron. He returned to Alexandria in 1922, four years after the signing of the armistice, and began to look for Jewish