First published 2009
Jakob Beer crouches in Polish mud as a child during World War II when scientist Athos Roussos discovers him and pulls him to safety. Athos takes Jakob first to Greece, then after the war ends to Toronto. In Canada, Jakob slowly confronts what he has lost. His sister vanished during the war, and he cannot know if she survived. Jakob becomes a translator and poet, finding love with Michaela. Years later he encounters Ben, a young professor studying the war's aftermath. Ben grows fascinated by Jakob's experiences and his writing. The two men form a connection across generations, both shaped by the war's legacy. Jakob must navigate between his traumatic past and the possibility of peace in his present life.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, war, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Canada, Greece, Poland, Toronto
Period: World War II
312 pages · Paperback · Emblem Editions
Content warnings: mental-illness