This book is categorized as fiction. However, at the end of the book I learned that it is story of the author’s family. At the age of fifteen Georgia Hunter was assigned a research project in school. Thus began her quest to interview her relatives and learn of her ancestors.
In 1939 the Kurc family was Jewish and living in Poland – father Sol, mother Nechuma, sons Selim, Jakob, and Genek, and daughter Halina. Son Addy was living in Paris. As the war begins the family goes in various directions. For the first half of the book I had difficulty keeping the characters straight. There’s all the siblings, their wives, their children, and aunts, uncles, and cousins. As they went on the run, the story fragments. This is where I found myself flipping back and forth to refresh my memory as to which sibling this was and what had happened several chapters back. The last half of the book was easier to read as by then I had the characters in my head.
Other than that Ms. Hunter’s writing made the scenes so realistic with her descriptions of what the Kurcs suffered and how difficult and uncertain everyday life was at the time. Going along for the ride was terrifying. Life was brutal, and survival nearly impossible. How do you survive when food is scarce, you are on the run constantly, and you feel you can’t trust anyone?
Members of the family dispersed all over -- France, Italy, Kazakhstan (which I found interesting since I wondered how Jews ended up there), Tehran, Siberia, West Africa, Morocco, Brazil, Tel Aviv. Considering how difficult and dangerous it was to travel it was suspenseful wondering who would survive the ordeal and who wouldn’t.
I have read a lot of books about the Holocaust and at first I thought this one was like all the rest. But I was wrong. This book is different and definitely worth reading.

This was a beautiful story of the power of family even when separated by the most horrible circumstances. Have recommended to all of my friends and family.