i read this book over yom tov.
it is a quick read. it is a captivating read. it is an insightful read.
i bought this book for one dollar from the discard book cart at the public library.
it is worth so much more.
i have read many holocaust books --fiction and non-fiction -- in my lifetime, but none like this one.
it is a novel made of up of short chapters. each chapter is a vignette. each chapter captures a father's memory from the war, and his children's reactions to that memory.
the reader is left wondering: is this a work of fiction or is this a biography?
with great simplicity, the author -- carl friedman being a woman actually -- captures a survivor's tale. the book, originally written in dutch and translated into english, does not lose anything in translation.
it is a powerful read.
i highly recommend it.
