Schulman, L.B. Stolen Secrets. Boyd's Mills
Press 2017 303p. $17.95 ISBN 978-1-62979-722-9 ms/hs Historical Fiction E-BN
This
novel is engrossing as much for its suggestion of new possibilities as for its
well-developed, believable plot. The
possibilities allow for a new interpretation of Anne Frank’s experience in Bergen-Belsen, and the drama that unravels is both startling
and thought-provoking. When Livvy and
her mother make a move to San Francisco, Livvy believes it is to make a new
start. Instead, it is about picking up a
relationship that she had believed to be long gone, a relationship with her
grandmother. Conflicts begin instantly:
man-versus-man pits Livvy against a caregiver named Vickie,
a woman who is untrustworthy and sly as a fox; man-versus-self pits Mother against her drinking (why does she relapse now,
of all times? Livvy must figure this out); man-versus-society pits her grandmother Oma against a society that hated Jews
in the middle of the century and now against herself as, with Alzheimers, she
struggles to make sense of her fragmented memories. It is up to Livvy to figure out Oma’s role in all this, and with the help of new acquaintance Franklin D,
she embarks on a journey to self-discovery that will leave readers asking lots
of questions about themselves. When
Livvy finds diary pages about a concentration camp, she realizes that her
grandmother has profound secrets. Livvy
comes to believe her grandmother knew Anne Frank in her last days, or is
herself Anne Frank! This cast of
characters comes together to make the reader ponder Frank’s final days. The plot keeps the
reader fascinated, and the climax and resolution are stunning. Writing of this quality is unimaginable, as
much for its creativity as for its style and message.
Summary:
Livvy and her mother move to California for a new start. Instead, Livvy finds herself embarking on a
journey of discovery, first to figure out who her grandmother really is, and
secondly, to help her mother recover from alcoholism. With post-war America as the setting and the
Holocaust as a compelling topic, Livvy finds herself completely absorbed.
World War
II-Fiction, Holocaust-Fiction --Martha Squaresky
