Schulman, L.B. Stolen
Secrets Boyd's Mills Press 2017 303p 17.95 978-1-62979-722-9 ms/hs Historical E-BN
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 Oma (Grandmother)
really is and second, to find recovery from alcoholism for Livvy’s mother. With historical fiction as the setting and
the Holocaust as a compelling topic, Livvy finds herself completely absorbed. 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 v man pits Livvy against a caregiver
named Vickie, a woman who is untrustworthy and sly as a fox; man v. self pits
Mother against her drinking,(why does she relapse now of all times? Livvy must
figure this out.); man v society pits Grandmother 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 secrets
that are profound. Livvy comes to
believe her grandmother knew Anne Frank in her last days, or, to be 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. Squaresky(2), Martha Livvy’s
grandmother is hiding secret from WWII
