He survived Auschwitz but now Simon Mendelevski has to find out who betrayed his familySeptember 1945. Auschwitz survivor Simon Mendelevski, penniless and unkempt, returns to Amsterdam in a desperate search for his family, friends and neighbours. Simon meets two Dutch women, both of whom have also suffered. One, known to him before the war, is anxious to make amends for what she perceives as a … amends for what she perceives as a failure by her fellow citizens to protect the Jewish population while easing the pain of her own loss. The other arrived in the city after the bombing of Rotterdam in May 1940 during which she lost a limb.
He searches for the address where he and his Jewish family were hidden prior to their arrest by the Nazis for anything tangible connected to his family, and for whoever betrayed them. Only after finding answers can he start to rebuild his life.
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This is a book everyone should read.
Simon Mendelevski returned to Amsterdam from Auschwitz in September of 1945, the only survivor from his family. Simon’s family went into hiding in 1942 but were betrayed and sent to the death camp. This book is not about Simon’s past experiences; it shows how he was reintegrated into society. First he is recognized by Grietje, a woman who used to clean house for his family, his father being a wealthy master watchmaker. Simon next meets Maaike, a young woman who lives downstairs and who lost most of her leg during a bombing at age fifteen. Maaike works for Jos, serving beer and drinks at his bar. Through Maaike, Simon also gets a job at the bar. Simon lives with Grietjje and gradually gets his strength back. Soon he is trying to learn about the past and decide on his future. He learns that his father had left a box with the people who had hidden him, and Jos helps him retrieve the box. In addition to wedding license, birth certificates, etc., Simon and Jos find a hidden bottom that contains a fortune in gold, silver, and watches. Now that Simon is feeling more secure, he becomes obsessed with learning who betrayed his family to the Nazis. This book has a different slant from other Holocaust novels and was interesting to read. I did not find the characters to be particularly well developed, but the writing was sincere.
It made me think about what the Jews endured during Nazi Germany.
When a Jewish man comes home from Auschwitz, he wants to find out if any of his family members survived. In addiction, he is determined to find out who betrayed his family when they were in hiding. In his search, he finds out that his father had a box hidden from the Nazis. This man’s journey is heartbreaking, yet he finds hope. I loved this book!
Good story about the survival + growth of 2 families after the Holocaust.
A very different approach to victims of the holocaust. We don’t usually hear about Jews from the Netherlands. A wonderful story and full of surprises.
Good read!
A heart wrenching novel of the immediate months after WWII ends in Europe, with the horrors of Holocaust still unfolding. Tragedy and love intertwine with the finding of heroes and villains. A beautiful, if teary, historical novel worth reading.
Good representation of the events from that period of world history.
Sad story, but after the war better things happened in Israel
Good book with some good insights into what happened to one family during and after WWII. However plot was a bit simple.
A great story.
This book was very well written. Another informative tale about the Halocaust and the many ugly people before, during and after.
I love that this historical novel starts with a young man who has survived Auschwitz. Quite often the Holocaust books I read are set in the times before and during the horror. Seeing this young man deal with the aftermath of trying to establish an identity, trying to find what happened to his family, trying to cash in insurance policies, trying to build a life – all things I had not given that much thought to. The characters were well developed; I felt like I knew them. I enjoyed the story development and how things played out very much.
I really liked this book and recommended it to my friend. I wrote in the review that it was realistic and I don’t really know that. It is probably realistic for that time and place. I might better state that it is believable.
Young Auschwitz survivor returns to Rotterdam to find his former home occupied by others, but finds shelter with a former family employee. The young man makes contact with a man who kept a box for him left by his father. The contents of the box are valuable and help set him up. He finds out who betrayed the family. Good yarn and good uplifting story.
Historical
I loved the storyline. The writing style not so much. There seemed to be some unnecessary material in the book and the conversation styles were not what I expected of a mature author. I rolled my eyes at times with the conversations that seemed to meander and the immature emotions. However, I kept reading because I wanted to know who betrayed the family!
though it dragged a bit i couldn’t stop reading it. i learned new perspective of life after world war 2.
An enjoyable, informative read!