I am not sure whether I should write a brief about this book. Perhaps some of you will know that it is the first of an acclaimed trilogy and was written in French in 1958 and the first edition in English became available in 1960. The author won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. The titles of the two other books in the trilogy are DAWN and DAY. They are both short novels whereas the first is his first hand perceptions of the period in his life when as a fifteen year old child he was sent to the Nazi death camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. The book has been described as being of ‘terrifying power’, it narrates the inhumanity the young teenager witnessed through those years and its effects upon his whole view of God and of life. As the titles suggest, there is a progression. These books move forward, but not as far as those who are Christians would desire them to move. Is it possible for those who have been through such apparently senseless pain to construct a new life for themselves? This is the central question with which the author wrestles in his books. No, is the answer of the first book, all is too terrible. A glimmer of light appears in the second book and this glimmer becomes a little brighter in the third but still there is not a satisfactory answer. I understand that in the latter work of this author the light shines brighter still, especially in a book called SOULS ON FIRE, but I have not yet read that one. Does life have meaning, can the world have purpose as it seeks to deal with guilt unresolved. As his name suggests the author is a Jew, a holocaust survivor, he regards God as dead, having permitted such atrocities to occur He is not worthy to be. Is hope still possible or is the earth cursed because of its guilt? Flickers of light are afforded the reader. But you will come away unsatisfied. Is there value in reading these slim volumes? For those whose reading is superficial the first will challenge them profoundly. Holocaust literature always does that. Yet our hearts cry out for an answer, for comfort, for purpose which leads to satisfaction and these will not be found in reading these books. They make for austere reading. In fact, all reading of books has an austerity about it when compared with the flashing ease of the movie screen and that of the TV, but reading engages more of our being intelligently than watching a screen and that is a good thing in itself. So, perhaps read the first of these books and get a copy of the DVD of the remake of the Diary of Ann Frank and watch it thoughtfully, there will be benefit.
