My first thoughts are that this is yet another novel of WWII and the holocaust, but after looking deeper I quickly realize this one is unique. First, Joseph Kertes has set his haunting story in Budapest, Hungary. Now that is a different aspect. Okay, I like that already. It raises my awareness to a new peak.
It is March, 1944: a small area outside of Budapest. A young woman is crouching behind a wardrobe dressed in her mother’s wedding dress. The aroma of her birthday cake is wafting up the stairs as she hides. Her name is Lily. Her mother has fled with her brothers and sisters telling Lily to stay hiding no matter what. This is the first page of the story. It sure piqued my interest.
The story is told through the voices of a group of people who go through untold atrocities in order to survive. Lily becomes entwined with the once wealthy Beck family and their story shows how even in the midst of great angst people come together. The inherent good of people dealing with unspeakable horrors bodes deeply here.
There is much psychological profiling going on throughout this skillfully written tale. There were times I felt a character was actually hallucinating. This was done in such a subtle way that I must say I wasn’t sure. Due to the subject matter it makes perfect sense. These were torturous times. People were living through the rawest atrocities. They were dealing with death, death camps, loss of even the basest of necessities, and some of them the very will to live.
A significant part of the story involves a Swedish man, Raoul, a Christian who comes to the aid of countless Jews. He literally takes subhuman chances to save these doomed people. His character is interesting in the way of an aside. He doesn’t appear often, but his presence becomes tantamount to the story.
There were times I must say while reading this novel when I simply had to put it down for a time. The subject matter itself is harsh, deep, and cold. The characters become friends who are fiercely caught in this veritable trap. I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen to them but, on the other hand, sometimes it was just too much. Hence, the put down. Each time I would pick the book back up it would become more inviting. I felt beckoned back into their lives.
Joseph Kertes says that this story has haunted him his whole life. It is inspired from a family anecdote. “All of us- Christians, perpetrators, Jews, saints and criminals alike- are capable of making mistakes with tragic consequences.”
The deeply portrayed humanity living within each of the characters comes shining through the tragedy of this tale. This novel will have you on your knees, grateful for all that you have in your life.
I am grateful to have read “Gratitude” and for my ability to recommend this beautifully written new take on an old atrocity.
