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Anne Berest’s “The Postcard”, published in 2021, is one of those books that quietly creeps under your skin and lingers long after you finish it. It begins as a bit of a mystery: Berest’s mother receives a postcard with nothing but four names written on it: the names of their Jewish relatives who died in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. There’s no return address and no explanation. And yet somehow, that simple card carries the weight of an entire family’s history and trauma.
What follows is part detective story, part memoir, and part historical deep-dive. Berest sets out to uncover who sent the postcard and why. Along the way, she pieces together her family’s past: how they fled Russia, settled in France, tried to live normal lives, and how they were swept up by the horrors of World War II. It’s a personal story, but also a broader one about the Jewish experience in Europe, identity, and the inherited trauma that ripples through generations.
One of the things that makes this book so captivating is Berest’s writing style. It’s thoughtful and poetic, but not in a way that feels overdone. She writes with clarity and emotion, balancing historical facts with deeply personal moments. She has a journalist’s curiosity and a novelist’s sensitivity. At times, the book reads like a mystery novel, keeping you turning the pages to see what she’ll discover next. Other times, it slows down and becomes almost meditative, especially when Berest reflects on what it means to be Jewish in modern-day France.
What really stands out is how vividly she brings her ancestors to life. These aren’t just names from a genealogy chart, they’re fully imagined people with personalities, desires, flaws, and dreams. It’s a beautiful act of remembrance, and you can feel Berest’s love and grief throughout the book.
Even if you’re not usually drawn to books about the Holocaust or family history, “The Postcard” has a unique pull. It’s not just about tragedy—it’s about identity and how the past shapes the present. It’s a story about a daughter trying to understand where she comes from, and in doing so, reconnecting with something larger than herself.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Spinnaker Sails
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