My Jewish-themed Reads Part 2 - #JBW2019

Here are three more Jewish-themed reads. This year, I'm an official book blog partner of Jewish Book Week in London (2 to 10 March 2019), so I've made it my mission to read more Jewish-themed books throughout 2019.

If you haven't yet booked for Jewish Book Week, tickets are still available. Visit the website - http://jewishbookweek.com - for more details.

The Cut Out Girl by Bart Van Es
Published by Penguin in paperback in January 2019

The Cut Out Girl won the Costa Book of the Year 2018 award. Bart Van Es will be speaking at Jewish Book Week on 10 March 2019, at 11 am at Kings Place, London.

Publisher's description

Little Lien wasn't taken from her Jewish parents - she was given away in the hope that she might be saved. Hidden and raised by a foster family in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation, she survived the war only to find that her real parents had not. Much later, she fell out with her foster family, and Bart van Es - the grandson of Lien's foster parents - knew he needed to find out why.

His account of tracing Lien and telling her story is a searing exploration of two lives and two families. It is a story about love and misunderstanding and about the ways that our most painful experiences - so crucial in defining us - can also be redefined.

My verdict

The Cut Out Girl is a moving story of family and childhood - a book of loss, love, hope and remembrance. Young Lien was 'cut out' of her family and raised by foster parents, in the hope that she would survive the war and the horrors of the Holocaust. This is a mixture of memoir and social and political history, told through the eyes of author Bart Van Es, grandson of Lien's foster parents and now an Oxford professor. It's an intimate look at a young Jewish girl's time in hiding, but also a deeper look at the Nazi occupation of Holland. The factual content is seamlessly woven into the narrative, as chapters switch between Bart Van Es's research in the present day and Lien's story in the past. The book is harrowing and upsetting in places, but needs to be read - just as it needed to be written. A testament not only to the resilience of young Lien, but also to the Dutch families who risked their lives to hide her and so many other Jewish people. 

To book a ticket for Bart Van Es's Jewish Book Week event, click here.


The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner 
Published in hardback by Orbit in September 2018 - paperback being published in June 2019

Publisher's description

In a remote village surrounded by forests on the border of Moldova and Ukraine, sisters Liba and Laya have been raised on the honeyed scent of their Mami's babka and the low rumble of their Tati's prayers. But when a troupe of mysterious men arrives, Laya falls under their spell - despite their mother's warning to be wary of strangers. And this is not the only danger lurking in the woods.

As dark forces close in on their small village, Liba and Laya discover a family secret passed down through generations. Faced with a magical heritage they never knew existed, the sisters realise the old fairy tales are true . . . and could save them all.

My verdict
I was mesmerised by The Sisters of the Winter Wood. It's a fantasy mix, twining together Jewish traditions with Russian folklore and fairytales (based on the Goblin Market, a poem written in the 19th century). This enchanting coming-of-age novel is filled with lyrical prose - a story of forbidden love, family secrets and a window into a hidden world. It's a cross between YA and adult fiction - some of the chapters (those by Laya) are written in verse and you have to enjoy magical realism. I loved it, as I've been seeking Jewish-themed reads that are 'different' - and this one certainly stands out from the crowd!


Raising Sparks by Ariel Kahn
Published by Bluemoose Books in July 2018

Ariel Kahn will be speaking at Jewish Book Week on 3 March 2019, at 6.30 pm at Kings Place, London.

Publisher's description: 

I've actually decided not to include the publisher's description that I found on Amazon UK, as this is more of a synopsis of the book rather than a blurb and I don't want to give everything away here. But obviously you can read this description for yourself on Amazon! But instead, here's my own summary: When sixteen-year-old Malka finds Russian immigrant Moshe (one of her father's students) studying the forbidden Kabbalistic texts, she uncovers her own mystical gifts. Malta runs away from the family home in Jerusalem, and her ultra-orthodox lifestyle, to embark on a journey of self-discovery, filled with danger, revelations and ultimately love.

My verdict
You can't get much more Jewish themed than Raising Sparks, which opens with a Friday afternoon scene in which a Jewish family are preparing for the Sabbath (Shabbat). This novel is set in modern Israel, with its array of different religions and cultures trying (and sometimes struggling) to exist together, and the difficulties experienced by modern ultra-orthodox Jewish families as the world around them changes. Insights into Kabbalah, and its background, are woven into the plot, so there's a lot to take in. The book also celebrates Jewish symbolism and culture (culinary delights and social experiences, not just the religion itself). Raising Sparks is warm and touching, with some powerful and moving scenes and rich, descriptive prose that paints vivid imagery. It raises many questions about coincidence, curiosity, human nature and society, and has the potential to prompt significant discussion!

To book a ticket for Ariel Kahn's Jewish Book Week event, click here.

So that's it for now! But I have many more Jewish-themed books on my list and will reading (and reviewing) them over the coming months. So do pop back to Off-the-Shelf Books for more updates!