eleanortonkin 's review for:

The Lost: The Search for Six of Six Million by Daniel Mendelsohn

5.0

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A haunting and deeply moving exploration of history, grief, human connections and closure. The way that the story is told won’t be for everybody; the book frequently jumps backwards and forwards, veering off onto secondary stories that can be frustrating, but ultimately form a piece of the bigger puzzle that results in an ending that cannot be described as satisfactory (because there are still so many unanswered questions) but still worthwhile. I cried several times, not only for the dead but also for those still living — who felt such a profound grief at the loss of their family members that reverberated throughout generations and drives Daniel to seek out their stories. I also found it interesting that despite the book being largely positive of Zionism, it offered some (unintended?) damning critiques. A profound and unforgettable read.