Reviews

The Postcard by Anne Berest

bettercallbekah's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

ewonssss's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

howardgo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Originally published at myreadinglife.com.

Once a year our book club reads a book in translation. This year, that book was The Postcard by Anne Berest, translated from the French by Tina Kover published in 2023. It is a semi-biographical novel that tells the history of the author's family. Her grandmother received the titular postcard in 2003. On it were the names of her mother, father, sister, and brother who were all murdered in the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz. The story opens with the author's mother showing her the postcard and then going on to tell her the history of the people on the postcard until they were deported from France by the Vichy government. The rest of the tale is the author's journey to discover who sent the postcard and why.

This book was a mixed bag. The writing was vivid, really connecting with lived experience. The translator must be credited with taking the original French and making it feel like it was written in English. A sample: "Her legs feel as if they're still vibrating from the train, the same way the ground seems to shift and heave after a boat trip." On the other hand, the characters feel a little too stuck. Or maybe the author just dwells on a particular aspect of a character a bit too long, making it feel like they are a little unreasonable. For instance, despite the growing restrictions on Jews in Vichy France, the father on the postcard insists on doing everything the government asks of him in the hopeless effort to become a French citizen. In the end, he willfully and meekly goes with the police when he is finally arrested and deported. It made me want to scream at the book, "What are you doing!?" I suppose that this sort of thing really did happen, but it just left me empty, sad, and a little angry.

The conclusion of the book comes a bit too quickly for my taste. There is a revelation and then it feels as if the book just ends. It does tell the complete history of a family's experience of the Holocaust and its aftermath, and for that is unique and valuable. But overall this book was only okay. I liked it. But I didn't love it.

ctait2106's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

nicolesano's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

zbayardo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

3.5

elizabethfisher's review against another edition

4.0

This was a heart-breaking and beautiful story of a family torn apart by the Holocaust. It’s dual timeline with the modern storyline following Anne trying to discover the mystery of the postcard that her mother received bearing the name of four family members who were killed at Auschwitz: Ephraïm and Emma, and their children, Noémie and Jacques. As Anne learns their story and tries to figure out who sent the postcard, we get to hear the family’s story of immigration around Europe and Palestine until they settle in France. And then the story of their transportation to the death camp and the subsequent story of Myriam, the other member of the family. It’s historical fiction with a touch of mystery.

I thought the novel was well-written and very compelling. Berest brings all the characters to life and tells the horrific story of the Holocaust and its impact on this one family from when it happened through to the modern day. I have no specific quibbles with the writing or the story, though it drags a little bit here and there…it is 464 pages. So overall, 4.5 stars and would highly recommend picking this up if you’re in the mood for sad historical fiction with a contemplative and thought-provoking reflection on identity and memory.

Side note: I listened to the audiobook of this one and found the narrator’s French to be pretty poor, which may have detracted a little from the story–for example there’s a French joke in it that does not work because the narrator can’t pronounce it. But other than that, it was a good book to enjoy on audio.

susanbonnieo's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

kristyreads's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

cecilehueb's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Phieeeww. Aangeraden door Kuus. Gelezen in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, terwijl we reden door de bossen. Ik ben blij dit verhaal op een moment te lezen waarin ik er volledige aandacht voor had. Duister duister duister. Ik kon er niet goed van slapen, ik kon ook niet stoppen met lezen. Het verhaal is prachtig gescheven en gaat niet alleen over de holocoust, maar springt heen en weer tussen verschillende generaties, geschiedenis en het heden. Dat maakte het extra interessant en relevant en zwaar.