This piece is part of our Witnessing series, which shares pieces from Israeli authors and authors in Israel, as well as the experiences of Jewish writers around the globe in the aftermath of October 7th.
It is critical to understand history not just through the books that will be written later, but also through the first-hand testimonies and real-time accounting of events as they occur. At Jewish Book Council, we understand the value of these written testimonials and of sharing these individual experiences. It’s more important now than ever to give space to these voices and narratives.
I’m the Jewish debut author of the historical fiction novel The Star on the Grave. Set in 1968 and spanning three countries — Australia, Japan, and the USSR — it is the story of a motherless young woman who has had her Jewish heritage concealed from her. Her father is a Holocaust survivor, and emotionally very disconnected; he harbors a tremendous amount of fear that they will be persecuted in their new homeland and so he hides his faith. Upon learning the truth that she is Jewish and that they are in fact alive because of the brave actions of a Japanese diplomat, my protagonist embarks on a journey back to Japan to thank the man to whom they owe their lives.
I secured a publishing deal with a secular publisher in Melbourne, Australia in September 2022, and the editing journey commenced. The manuscript was finally ready a year later and went to print the week of October 7, 2023. As details emerged, illustrating the absolute horror of the pogrom — the most Jews slaughtered in one day since the Holocaust — rocking our community, it suddenly dawned on me how chillingly relevant one of my book’s central themes was: the inherent paranoia in Holocaust survivors that antisemitism is present in most individuals and lies there festering, just waiting for the right conditions to bubble to the surface and express itself in all its glory. While writing, I wondered if I had been a little heavy-handed and overly dramatic about this subject, but now, I couldn’t believe how timely it was.
In shock and traumatized — as we all were — I called my book’s editor to discuss what they’d like to do in light of this horrific massacre. I was reassured it would be okay.
I remember the Zoom call with a handful of representatives from the publishing firm, including the owner. One by one they each expressed how profoundly sorry they were for me and my community. I was particularly struck by the immediate and immense support of non-Jews, something I had not come to expect. Cautiously, I accepted their well wishes, but the fear that the tides would soon turn stuck in the back of my mind. A veritable tsunami of antisemitic activity pelted communities worldwide upon Israel’s entrance into Gaza.
My publisher reassured me that they thought things would settle soon and proceeded to go ahead with the release of the novel, which they had high hopes for, on January 30, 2024. After excitedly revealing the cover of my book on their Facebook page (which features a huge gilt-edged Star of David), what resulted can only be described as an avalanche of vitriolic anti-Israel and antisemitic trolling began. It began within minutes of the post, and continued for the next twenty four hours. It was a Sunday and I couldn’t get hold of anyone at the publisher’s offices. First thing Monday morning, I finally reached someone and urged them to remove and block comments, as it had become a debate on Israel’s actions in Gaza. I screenshotted and blocked on my end, should any of these trolls decide to try and glean information from my personal profile — I was fearful for the safety of my family, as many of these comments were particularly hateful and directed at me, the author.
In the months that followed, I organised speaking events and book talks at libraries, wary of the highly regarded and publicized writers festivals. I found solace and community in the Jewish organisations and venues, secure in the knowledge that they had my back.
It is now a year on from my initial publication and the events of October 7 2023. Due to a lot of hard work on my own behalf — and a wonderfully supportive Jewish community here — I’ve achieved bestseller status in Australia. When asked if I think I would have done even better pre-October 7, I can’t rightly say. What I can say with certainty is that the pushback from some international publishing houses is very real, whose cookie-cutter response currently is “Despite the merits of this book, a wonderful story the world should know, it is not for us ‘at this time’…”
One publisher in the US suggested I have the cover redesigned and printed without the Star of David in order to enhance my chances of being picked up.
My answer to that? No. I’m not going to water down the incredibly relevant themes and messages in my novel, nor am I going to conceal the fact it is a Jewish-themed book written by a Jew. I won’t water down who I am.
I am Jewish and proud of it.
The views and opinions expressed above are those of the author, based on their observations and experiences.
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Linda Margolin Royal is the author of the bestselling novel The Star on the Grave. Inspired by the true story of the Japanese Schindler who saved her family and 6,000 others from the Holocaust.
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