A family is torn apart by fierce belief and private longing in this unprecedented journey deep inside the most insular sect of Hasidic Jews, the Satmar.
Opening in 1939 Transylvania, five-year-old Josef witnesses the murder of his family by the Romanian Iron Guard and is rescued by a Christian maid to be raised as her own son. Five years later, Josef rescues a young girl, Mila, after her parents are killed while running to meet the Rebbe they hoped would save them. Josef helps Mila reach Zalman Stern, a leader in the Satmar community, in whose home Mila is raised as a sister to Zalman's daughter, Atara. With the rise of communism in central Europe, the family moves to Paris, to the Marais, where Zalman tries to raise his children apart from the city in which they live. Mila's faith intensifies, while her beloved sister Atara discovers a world of books and learning that she cannot ignore.
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I received this book from the Goodreads First Reads program
I feel really bad that I didn't pick this book up sooner (stupid grad school), seeing as this is an incredibly quick read and draws you into the story right from the get go. I've always had an interest in non-mainstream religions (I mean this very neutrally, no offense intended). I believe, on the whole, that Markovits did a splendid job painting a picture of Satmar homes across generations, intimate details about Satmar family life, and the trials and tribulations that every human being has to go through, regardless of age, gender, religion, race, etc. I would have given this five stars, but I feel like I got lost in the plot line once or twice and that Markovits strayed, unintentionally, away from the plot. Overall though, I'm very glad to have read this!
