March 2, 1908. Chicago. A young Jewish immigrant named Lazarus Averbuch knocks on the door of the Chief of Police, George Shippy. He’s got a letter in his hand. Minutes later, he’s dead. Shot four times.
The police called him an anarchist assassin. The newspapers called him a "Red" threat. But the truth? Honestly, it was probably just a massive, tragic misunderstanding fueled by pure, unadulterated xenophobia.
This is the hook that Aleksandar Hemon uses to pull us into The Lazarus Project. It isn't just a history lesson, though. It’s a messy, beautiful, and kinda frustrated look at what it means to be a "foreigner" in a place that’s supposed to be a refuge.
The Dual Heart of The Lazarus Project
Hemon doesn’t just tell the story of 1908. He splits the book in two. One half follows Olga Averbuch, Lazarus’s sister, as she tries to survive the fallout of her brother's death in a city that suddenly wants her gone. The other half follows Vladimir Brik, a Bosnian writer living in modern-day Chicago who becomes obsessed with Lazarus.
Brik is basically a stand-in for Hemon. He’s got a grant. He’s got a photographer friend named Rora. And he’s got a lot of "existential unease," as some critics put it.
They go on this wild road trip. They travel from Chicago back to Eastern Europe—Ukraine, Moldova, Sarajevo—retracing Lazarus’s steps. But really, Brik is searching for himself. He escaped the war in Bosnia, but he feels like a ghost in America.
💡 You might also like: Is Steven Weber Leaving Chicago Med? What Really Happened With Dean Archer
Why the Photography Matters
You’ll notice the book is full of grainy, black-and-white photos. These aren't just decorations. They are part of the story. Some are real archival shots from the Chicago Daily News (1904–1919). Others were taken by Hemon’s actual friend, Velibor Božović, during their real-life trip to Europe.
The photos of the 1908 events are chilling. There’s one of the police chief posing with Lazarus’s corpse like it’s a hunting trophy. It’s brutal. Hemon uses these images to bridge the gap between "this happened" and "this is a story."
What Most People Get Wrong About the "Anarchist" Plot
History books—or at least the headlines from 1908—label Lazarus an anarchist. But Hemon shows the gaps in that narrative. Lazarus was nineteen. He’d survived the Kishinev pogrom in Russia. He was an egg packer.
Was he really trying to kill the Chief of Police? Or was he just trying to deliver a letter of recommendation?
The book highlights how the "War on Anarchism" back then looked a whole lot like modern political panics. It’s about how the state creates a monster when it needs one. Lazarus was the perfect monster: Jewish, Eastern European, and poor.
📖 Related: Is Heroes and Villains Legit? What You Need to Know Before Buying
Brik and Rora: The Odd Couple of Sarajevo
The modern sections of the book feel different. They’re filled with "Bosnian humor," which is basically laughing so you don't cry. Rora, the photographer, tells these insane stories about the Siege of Sarajevo.
Half the time, you don't know if Rora is lying. Honestly, he probably is. But in Hemon’s world, a good story is sometimes more "true" than a boring fact.
- Brik: The intellectual, the observer, the guy who feels like his soul lives in his passport.
- Rora: The survivor, the man who lived through the snipers and the hunger, who seems "complete" in a way Brik isn't.
Their dynamic is where the heart of the novel lives. It’s about the guilt of the one who left versus the trauma of the one who stayed.
Why You Should Care in 2026
We’re still talking about The Lazarus Project because the cycle hasn't stopped. We still have people crossing borders. We still have "us vs. them" rhetoric. Hemon writes about the "half-lives" of immigrants—people who can't forget who they used to be but don't know who they are now.
It’s a "literary page-turner," as Kirkus Reviews called it. But it’s also a punch to the gut.
👉 See also: Jack Blocker American Idol Journey: What Most People Get Wrong
Key Takeaways for Your Next Read
If you’re picking up the book for a book club or just for yourself, keep an eye on these things:
- The Biblical Parallel: The name "Lazarus" isn't an accident. It’s about being brought back from the dead—through memory, through writing, and through the "haze of history."
- The Concept of "Home": Pay attention to how Brik talks about his American wife, Mary. She represents "American innocence." He loves her, but there’s a wall between them because she’s never seen her world fall apart.
- The Metafiction: Remember that Brik is writing the story of Lazarus while you are reading the story of Brik. It’s a "novel about writing a novel."
Actionable Next Steps
To really get the most out of Hemon's work, don't just stop at the last page.
Check out the Chicago Daily News archive. Many of the photos Hemon used are part of the Chicago History Museum’s collection. Seeing the actual images of George Shippy and the Averbuch apartment makes the historical weight of the book feel much heavier.
Read Hemon’s earlier work. If you like his style—the "lush vocabulary" and the sharp wit—check out The Question of Bruno. It’s a collection of short stories that sets the stage for the themes he explores in The Lazarus Project.
Research the Kishinev Pogrom. Understanding the level of violence Lazarus and Olga were fleeing in 1903 helps explain the "irritable existential unease" that permeates every chapter of this novel.