A review by lisawreading
Day After Night by Anita Diamant

3.0

"Day After Night" is the story of Holocaust survivors, smuggled into Palestine in the time of the British Mandate in 1945, and imprisoned in the Atlit internment camp near Haifa. The book follows four main characters, women whose experiences during the Holocaust included concentration camps, fighting as part of the resistance, and forced prostitution. While the book has the ingredients of a moving story, ultimately it falls flat. The characters never truly come to life, and except for rare moments, are fairly interchangeable. "Day After Night" takes place in the months leading up to a large-scale escape of prisoners from Atlit. The climactic break-out should have been exciting and suspenseful. However, as with so much of this book, it felt oversimplified and lacking in real energy. I wanted to be moved by this book, as it covers a piece of Jewish and Israeli history that is little known. Anita Diamant's writing just didn't really work for me, and while I think it worthwhile to bring this era to light, those who are truly interested would be better served by reading an actual history of the time rather than spending time on this so-so novel.