Delicate

by Ron Segal

A lyrical and candid novel about the unstable work of remembering.

Haunted by the recent death of his wife Bella, renowned Israeli writer and Holocaust survivor Adam Schumacher sets out on a journey to chronicle their love story before it's too late. Decades after he fled the Nazis, Adam returns to Germany, where he confronts his past and his rapidly eroding memory.

Somber and surreal, Delicate unfurls Adam's distorted memories and fever dreams against the backdrop of modern Germany, where traces of history linger beneath daily life. Blending fact and fantasy, Adam summons fairy tales and bits of everyday culture as he attempts to compose his final testimony-and, in the process, to grieve all he has lost.

Delicate invites readers to reflect on the power and limitations of language, and what happens when the memories of those who've shaped our present begin to dissolve.

164 pages, Paperback

Expected publication March 2, 2027

About the author

Ron Segal (Hebrew: רון סגל) is an Israeli novelist and filmmaker.
His work has been recognized with awards from the Goethe Institut, the Beijing Film Festival, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, as well as with an Alfred Döblin Scholarship and fellowships from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the Berlin Senate Department for Culture.
He lives in Berlin with his family.

Reviews

[Susan]

I love this book and the story it tells. It's unapologetic and the chronology is not linear. The story revolves around Adam, a famous writer and Holocaust survivor, who becomes a widower after his wife, Bella, is mysteriously killed with one of Adam's books. Adam recounts his earlier years, including his years hiding and then being sent to a number of concentration camps during the Holocaust. There's a bit of magical realism that works very well. Segal's characters are all written with much empathy and although the book is only 151 pages, it's not a light read at all and is quite complex and layered. I highly recommend it.