The Yiddish Policemen's Union

“Meyer Landsman is the most decorated shammes in the District of Sitka, the man who solved the murder of the beautiful Froma Lefkowitz by her furrier husband, and caught Podolsky the Hospital Killer. […] He has the memory of a convict, the balls of a fireman, and the eyesight of a house-breaker. When there is crime to fight, Landsman tears around Sitka like a man with his pant leg caught on a rocket.”

This passage characterizes the novel’s protagonist by drawing from the stereotype of the hardboiled crime detective. Notably, Landsman is presented as a highly skilled but hard-edged cop who has built a reputation for his tough approach to crime. The hyperbolic comparisons suggest toughness and recklessness, describing him as a man of extremes rather than being characterized by equanimity.

“Unlike Landsman, Berko Shemets has not made a mess of his marriage or his personal life. Every night he sleeps in the arms of his excellent wife, whose love for him is merited, requited, and appreciated by her husband, a steadfast man who never gives her any cause for sorrow or alarm.”

Berko functions as a foil for Landsman, as demonstrated in this passage, which speaks to the contrast between them. Berko’s steadiness contrasts with Landsman’s chaos, establishing a deep-seated opposition between the two detectives. Berko’s domestic stability and reciprocated love highlight the voids in Landman’s life.

“But in the service of his own small misery, Landsman could be stubborn, too. Satisfied, burning with shame, he would watch unfold the grim destiny that he had been unable to foresee. And Landsman’s father would demolish him, flay him, vivisect him, gazing at his son all the while from behind the sagging porch of his face.”

Landsman’s backstory is shaped by his difficult relationship with his father. This passage demonstrates how Landsman built his stubbornness in the face of his father’s brutal tutelage of the game of chess. The violent metaphors—“flay him, vivisect him”—reveal how deeply Landsman internalizes shame under his father’s stern gaze. Landsman’s mix of pride and shame influences his behavior in adult life, allowing him to approach any challenge with grit, even if the odds are greatly against him.