This short novel tells the poignant story of Sara Hoffman, a recently widowed mother who brings her family from Cape Town, South Africa to live in a small New England town. Her brother, Meyer, sponsors the family and is lauded by the community for his “charitable efforts.” Sara and Meyer have been estranged, but since they have lost all their family in Eastern Europe they wish to reconcile. Sara works hard to provide for her family but it is a hard adjustment for her and the children to fit into their new place. The author beautifully describes the former and current lifestyle of these immigrants and the reactions of each family member to the changes: love and loss, raising children, immigration, family loyalty, the hardships of growing up, and reflections on making important life decisions. This is a lovely story suitable for young adults as well. The Newcomers is a sequel to the author’s previously published book A Pale Blue Light, but it stands alone beautifully. I look forward to backtracking and reading that tale about a Jewish girl growing up in 1940s Cape Town.
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Miriam Bradman Abrahams, mom, grandmom, avid reader, sometime writer, born in Havana, raised in Brooklyn, residing in Long Beach on Long Island. Longtime former One Region One Book chair and JBC liaison for Nassau Hadassah, currently presenting Incident at San Miguel with author AJ Sidransky who wrote the historical fiction based on her Cuban Jewish refugee family’s experiences during the revolution. Fluent in Spanish and Hebrew, certified hatha yoga instructor.
