A beautifully rendered, moving family story.
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What a novel—a family history and mystery all wrapped up in one compelling story! In this novel, based on the author's life and family, a woman is trying to figure out who sent an anonymous postcard to her mother bearing the name of four of her ancestors who were killed at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Berest brings her ancestor's stories alive on the page. It's a beautiful tribute and speaks to the tremendous amount of research done for this book. I really enjoyed reading the NYT article about Berest's writing process—it sheds a bit more light on her research as well, which is quite fascinating.

This novel is divided into three parts that delve into her ancestor's stories in different ways, as well as Berest's own personal journey as she works to discover who sent the postcard, and learns about her family history along the way. Her work to figure out just what happened to her grandmother, great aunt and uncle, and great-grandparents made me think of my own family, and all that I don't know about them. It makes me wonder about my extended family, especially on my dad's side, and if any were residing in Europe during the Holocaust.

There is so much that I can never know at this point, but I found a great sense of peace and love in Berest's telling of her own family story, and of her newfound understanding of Judaism. I was also raised in a very non-religious family, and while I attended a Jewish elementary school, I never had a bat mitzvah or continued my studies of the Torah. I don't regret that choice, but I found it very heartening to read Berest's own journey with her faith—through the trauma and love that it embodies for her.

Even amongst the searing, heartbreaking moments in this story, I felt as if there was a comforting presence alongside me. I think this is partly due to Berest's choice to tell much of this story through dialogue, and have the storyteller as a sort of guide. But maybe it also nods to the histories and lives we all carry within us (though I'm getting a bit too prophetic for my own tastes, haha). 

I really enjoyed this novel, and I think the reading experience will stick with me for a long time. And of course, I hope all of you read it!! A big thank you to Europa Editions for providing me with a digital advanced copy.