The Postcard by Anne Berest

 

My Rathing: 2.0

2003. Together with the usual holiday cards, an anonymous postcard is delivered to the Berest family home. On the front, a photo of the Opéra Garnier in Paris. On the back, the names of Anne Berest’s maternal great-grandparents, Ephraïm and Emma, and their children, Noémie and Jacques—all killed at Auschwitz. Fifteen years after the postcard is delivered, Anne, is decides to discover who sent it and why. Aided by her chain-smoking mother, family members, friends, associates, a private detective, a graphologist, and many others, she embarks on a journey to discover the fate of the Rabinovitch family: their flight from Russia following the revolution, their journey to Latvia, Palestine, and Paris. What emerges is a moving saga that shatters long-held certainties about Anne’s family, her country, and herself.

The story of Auschwitz is horrific and needs to never be forgotten. That being said, this book is not the one to read and I am shocked it won an award. Yes, I know I am in the minority but this was a struggle to finish and I should have left it in my DNF pile. The first half of the book was interesting but the last half was very long and boring. I didn't care about any of the characters and the idea of the postcard felt contrived and drawn out till it couldn't be stretched anymore. There was a family saga worth telling in here but for me, it was lost amongst the bad writing and flimsy storyline.