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gracer 's review for:
When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father's War and What Remains
by Ariana Neumann
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
I still remember first finding out about this book by reading a review of it in the New York Times Book Review sometime in 2020. It was the heigh of the Covid pandemic and lockdowns, and I was reading a lot. I added this to my list almost right away, because the Czech element made it especially interesting to me, and the watch element was intriguing.
Then I waited nearly five more years to read it, and the only reason this wasn't a mistake is because I now live in Prague, and my experience of the book was certainly heightened by the nearness of so many of the places mentioned in the book.
This book was excellent. I read it in a week, (which is a bit fast for me these days,) and even though it covers a really difficult topic, Neumann compiled this with such a light touch. She made it bearable without taking away from the tragedy of the story.
In brief, this is a book about a Venezuelan woman born to a much older father who never talks about his experiences in Europe during WWII. Eventually, she discovers that his family was Jewish, and that they, like so many others, suffered horrifically during the war.
But what makes this book wonderful is a number of specific things. First of all, there is the way this is framed as a memoir - but only lightly. Instead of it being Neumann's story of her discovery, it is more that we are discovering the story of her family along with her.
Another element is the incredible scope of her research, and the precision with which she conducted it. At first, all she has is a box of documents that her father left her. But by drawing on what family connections she has, and employing researchers, translators, and genealogists to help her work, and with the additional element of luck, she has just an incredible array of documentation at her disposal. Moreover, she does this extensive collection justice, and yet she does all this without bogging the narrative down with too much fact, or making it too "biography." Throughout the book, it is Neumann telling the story.
Finally, all of the little elements that make this story come together so well -- the family mystery memoir, the Holocaust account, the paper trail, the watches -- are almost perfectly balanced. How easy would it be to overdo the watch "theme" and make it feel forced? How easy to tip too far into research, or family memories? Somehow this book is full of feeling without being sentimental; beautifully written without being forced.
I read it in a week, and a week later I am still thinking about it. I already know some parts of it will stick with me for life. I know that there are places in Prague that will remind me of this book when I pass by them. I will never think of shoe polish the same way again.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
Then I waited nearly five more years to read it, and the only reason this wasn't a mistake is because I now live in Prague, and my experience of the book was certainly heightened by the nearness of so many of the places mentioned in the book.
This book was excellent. I read it in a week, (which is a bit fast for me these days,) and even though it covers a really difficult topic, Neumann compiled this with such a light touch. She made it bearable without taking away from the tragedy of the story.
In brief, this is a book about a Venezuelan woman born to a much older father who never talks about his experiences in Europe during WWII. Eventually, she discovers that his family was Jewish, and that they, like so many others, suffered horrifically during the war.
But what makes this book wonderful is a number of specific things. First of all, there is the way this is framed as a memoir - but only lightly. Instead of it being Neumann's story of her discovery, it is more that we are discovering the story of her family along with her.
Another element is the incredible scope of her research, and the precision with which she conducted it. At first, all she has is a box of documents that her father left her. But by drawing on what family connections she has, and employing researchers, translators, and genealogists to help her work, and with the additional element of luck, she has just an incredible array of documentation at her disposal. Moreover, she does this extensive collection justice, and yet she does all this without bogging the narrative down with too much fact, or making it too "biography." Throughout the book, it is Neumann telling the story.
Finally, all of the little elements that make this story come together so well -- the family mystery memoir, the Holocaust account, the paper trail, the watches -- are almost perfectly balanced. How easy would it be to overdo the watch "theme" and make it feel forced? How easy to tip too far into research, or family memories? Somehow this book is full of feeling without being sentimental; beautifully written without being forced.
I read it in a week, and a week later I am still thinking about it. I already know some parts of it will stick with me for life. I know that there are places in Prague that will remind me of this book when I pass by them. I will never think of shoe polish the same way again.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Antisemitism, Death of parent, War
Minor: Confinement, Infidelity