In 1948, after surviving World War II by escaping Nazi-occupied France for refugee camps in Switzerland, Anna and Armand bought an old stone house in a remote village in the South of France. Five years later, Anna packed her bags and walked out on Armand, taking the typewriter and their children. Aside from one brief encounter, the two never saw or spoke to each other again, never remarried, and never revealed what had divided them. (From the back cover of the book.)
A Fifty Year Silence is the story of Anna and Armand, but it is Miranda's story as well. It is the story of the author's journey to discover her grandparents' story and of her own coming of age. Beginning when she was a young girl and continuing through her college years and beyond, Miranda searches for answers as she seeks to understand her family's history.
In many ways this reads more as a novel or a love story or a mystery than as a memoir. There are many layers to the family's history, all of them complicated because ultimately it is the story of two Jews who survived the Holocaust. Trying to understand the complicated relationship between Anna and Armand is the mystery to be solved. What went wrong? Why such animosity between them?
This is a beautifully written family history. Miranda, the author, grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and was very close to her grandmother. She eventually comes to have a close relationship with her grandfather as well. Following her quest to understand her grandparents' story and her family history is captivating reading, and hard to put down. Even though a memoir is not usually my first choice for reading material, I'm glad I took a chance on this one and I enjoyed it very much.
I received a copy of A Fifty Year Silence from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest opinion.
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