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A review by brownflopsy
The Light at the End of the Day by Eleanor Wasserberg
4.0
Kraków, 1937: Painter, Jozef is commissioned to paint the portrait of the pampered younger daughter of a well-to-do Jewish family, and although he is reluctant, the dire straits he finds himself in mean that he is forced to accept the job.
When Jozef meets the Oderfeldt family, he has little liking for the parents, the spoiled Alicia, or her bookish older sister, Karolina. But as work on the painting progresses, his destiny becomes irrevocably entwined with the Oderfeldt family, as he develops an understanding of Alicia and falls in love with the quiet Karolina - and it is the magic of the painting that binds them.
But then war comes to Poland and the Odefeldts are forced to flee their home. The family become scattered, the lovers are divided, and the painting is lost, as they become caught up in the fortunes of war.
This is a story of love, survival and remembrance....
*******************************************
The Light At The End Of The Day is a heartbreaking tale of a Jewish family torn apart by war, that draws heavily on the experiences of Eleanor Wasserberg's own family.
The book begins at the point where the Oderfeldt family are forced to flee Kraków in 1939, when it becomes clear that the German invasion is inevitable. Unfortunately, they have left their escape attempt too late, having decided to wait until the last minute to see whether the rumoured approaching war would come their way, and events sadly go awry.
The story then jumps back in time to 1937, when Jozef is commissioned to undertake the painting of Alicia. This seems a bit disorienting at first, but actually proves a skillful way for us to get to know the family, their foibles and secrets, and to establish the importance of Jozef's painting - before moving back to 1939 and continuing with what happens next.
Jozef's painting of Alicia is central to the novel and proves a rather original way to establish the relationships between the characters and tie all the strands together in the most magical of ways. The commissioning of the painting lays bare the inner workings of the Oderfeldt family; its creation forms the bond between Alicia, Jozef and Karolina; the mere idea of it proves a talisman; and its providence brings the threads of the story back together many years in the future.
I was very impressed how Eleanor Wasserberg brilliantly plays out the narrative on both the German and Russian sides of occupied Europe, so we learn about the lesser known fates of Jewish refugees in the Russian work camps. I was also very struck by how the beginning of her tale plays upon the fact that the Oderfeldts were busy keeping up appearances and entertaining their wealthy and influential friends while the events of Kristallnacht played out in Berlin, and how this shapes the reader's opinion of them as a dysfunctional family.
This is an epic tale of love, loss, suffering, survival and the bonds of family. It is an important and poignant account of a period of history we should never be allowed to forget. I found myself completely engrossed by both the story and the writing, and brokenhearted by the tragic nature of events, but they also show us that there can be hope even in the darkest of times - and it can be the strangest of things that give us solace and bring us back together.
When Jozef meets the Oderfeldt family, he has little liking for the parents, the spoiled Alicia, or her bookish older sister, Karolina. But as work on the painting progresses, his destiny becomes irrevocably entwined with the Oderfeldt family, as he develops an understanding of Alicia and falls in love with the quiet Karolina - and it is the magic of the painting that binds them.
But then war comes to Poland and the Odefeldts are forced to flee their home. The family become scattered, the lovers are divided, and the painting is lost, as they become caught up in the fortunes of war.
This is a story of love, survival and remembrance....
*******************************************
The Light At The End Of The Day is a heartbreaking tale of a Jewish family torn apart by war, that draws heavily on the experiences of Eleanor Wasserberg's own family.
The book begins at the point where the Oderfeldt family are forced to flee Kraków in 1939, when it becomes clear that the German invasion is inevitable. Unfortunately, they have left their escape attempt too late, having decided to wait until the last minute to see whether the rumoured approaching war would come their way, and events sadly go awry.
The story then jumps back in time to 1937, when Jozef is commissioned to undertake the painting of Alicia. This seems a bit disorienting at first, but actually proves a skillful way for us to get to know the family, their foibles and secrets, and to establish the importance of Jozef's painting - before moving back to 1939 and continuing with what happens next.
Jozef's painting of Alicia is central to the novel and proves a rather original way to establish the relationships between the characters and tie all the strands together in the most magical of ways. The commissioning of the painting lays bare the inner workings of the Oderfeldt family; its creation forms the bond between Alicia, Jozef and Karolina; the mere idea of it proves a talisman; and its providence brings the threads of the story back together many years in the future.
I was very impressed how Eleanor Wasserberg brilliantly plays out the narrative on both the German and Russian sides of occupied Europe, so we learn about the lesser known fates of Jewish refugees in the Russian work camps. I was also very struck by how the beginning of her tale plays upon the fact that the Oderfeldts were busy keeping up appearances and entertaining their wealthy and influential friends while the events of Kristallnacht played out in Berlin, and how this shapes the reader's opinion of them as a dysfunctional family.
This is an epic tale of love, loss, suffering, survival and the bonds of family. It is an important and poignant account of a period of history we should never be allowed to forget. I found myself completely engrossed by both the story and the writing, and brokenhearted by the tragic nature of events, but they also show us that there can be hope even in the darkest of times - and it can be the strangest of things that give us solace and bring us back together.