A review by bookcrazyblogger
House on Endless Waters by Emuna Elon

5.0

How far would you go to discover your origins? Famous Israeli author Yoel Blum is besieged by his publisher to attend publicity events for his books in Amsterdam, the place of his birth, therefore breaking a promise he made to his mother to never return to Amsterdam. Taking advantage of downtime, Yoel and his wife, Bat-Ami, go to the Jewish Historical Museum, where they find a photo of Blum’s mother, his older sister Nettie and an infant who is not Yoel. What follows is a compelling and forceful look into religious and family ideals, classism and World War II in Holland. As Yoel researches deeper into his family history, into the secret his mother and sister kept hidden from him, the story overlaps with what was currently happening in Amsterdam. Haunting and evocative prose shows the reader how upper class Jews in Holland thought they would be able to use their connections and wealth to escape their oppressors, only to be shamed, humiliated and proven devastatingly wrong. This is an engrossing depiction of inter-generational PTSD, of optimism bias and World War II/Holland history. Enuna Elon’s detailed and illuminating prose filled up my senses so that I felt as though I was in Amsterdam, seeing the canals, the architecture, the art work, the pain and the horror that laid underneath the charming, picturesque facade. I absolutely recommend this novel for a superb look into Holland during World War II.