By
– August 25, 2011
The story begins with Sidonie, grandmother of the narrator, Peter Edelmann. Sidonie was a strong, beautiful young woman, the daughter of prosperous smalltown Hungarian Jews. One day Sidonie goes to get her shoes repaired.
The Jewish shoemaker, a poor man from a poor family, touches her ankle in a way that changes her life. She feels the strength of attraction for the first time, and tells her parents, without thinking twice, that she will marry him. Sidonie and Joseph quickly have three children. For the sake of the children they walk, with a handbuilt cart, a donkey, three young babies and all their belongings, to Vienna, where life will be better, they are sure. In 1938, the Anschluss, or annexation of Austria by Germany, occurs. In so many ways, the cultured Viennese life of music, painting, and possibilities on the Danube evaporates, as the Nazis rise to power. This is a novel of history, of love, death, and extensive travel. The narrator moves around the world looking for a place to belong: England, Canada, and finally, Israel. This sweeping novel describes in a narrative that is both personal and broad, one of the paths Jews in the 20th century took, through towns and countries, trying hard to create a life.
The Jewish shoemaker, a poor man from a poor family, touches her ankle in a way that changes her life. She feels the strength of attraction for the first time, and tells her parents, without thinking twice, that she will marry him. Sidonie and Joseph quickly have three children. For the sake of the children they walk, with a handbuilt cart, a donkey, three young babies and all their belongings, to Vienna, where life will be better, they are sure. In 1938, the Anschluss, or annexation of Austria by Germany, occurs. In so many ways, the cultured Viennese life of music, painting, and possibilities on the Danube evaporates, as the Nazis rise to power. This is a novel of history, of love, death, and extensive travel. The narrator moves around the world looking for a place to belong: England, Canada, and finally, Israel. This sweeping novel describes in a narrative that is both personal and broad, one of the paths Jews in the 20th century took, through towns and countries, trying hard to create a life.
Esther Cohen is a poet, novelist, teacher, and cultural activist. Her most recent poetry book is God is a Tree (Pleasure Boat).
