In 2003, an unsigned postcard arrives at the Berest home addressed to author Anne Berest’s recently deceased maternal grandmother, Myriam, with no message, just four names listed: Ephraim, Emma, Noemie and Jacques, her grandmother’s parents and siblings, all killed in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. This true event as well as the unraveling of the mystery of the postcard, which inextricably involves the unraveling of her family history, becomes The Postcard, a work of auto-fiction.
The Postcard is one of the most moving, impactful stories of the Holocaust I’ve ever read. Tracing the experiences of Ephraim, Emma, Noemie, Jacques, and Myriam in the lead up to, during, and following WWII is gripping, harrowing, and all too real. There are many WWII stories in existence (too many), plenty focusing on Jewish families, this one is exceptional. What makes The Postcard a truly brilliant, peerless work is the nuanced portrayal of Jewish identity in all its complexities both then and now, as well as the impact of our experiences then on our identity now.
A must read.
That Bookish Life 