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To the Edge of Sorrow
From "fiction's foremost chronicler of the Holocaust" (Philip Roth), a haunting novel about an unforgettable group of Jewish partisans fighting the Nazis during World War II.
Battling numbing cold, ever-present hunger, and German soldiers determined to hunt them down, four dozen resistance fighters--escapees from a nearby ghetto--hide in a Ukrainian forest, determined to survive the war, sabotage the German war effort, and rescue as many Jews as they can from the trains taking them to concentration camps. Their leader is relentless in his efforts to turn his ragtag band of men and boys into a disciplined force that accomplishes its goals without losing its moral compass. And so when they're not raiding peasants' homes for food and supplies, or training with the weapons taken from the soldiers they have ambushed and killed, the partisans read books of faith and philosophy that they have rescued from abandoned Jewish homes, and they draw strength from the women, the elderly, and the remarkably resilient orphaned children they are protecting. When they hear about the advances being made by the Soviet Army, the partisans prepare for what they know will be a furious attack on their compound by the retreating Germans. In the heartbreaking aftermath of the assault, the survivors emerge from the forest to bury their dead, care for their wounded, and grimly confront a world that is surprised by their existence--and profoundly unwelcoming.
Narrated by seventeen-year-old Edmund--a member of the group who maintains his own inner resolve with memories of his parents and their life before the war--this powerful story of Jews who fought back is suffused with the riveting detail that Aharon Appelfeld is uniquely able to bring to his award-winning novels.
Battling numbing cold, ever-present hunger, and German soldiers determined to hunt them down, four dozen resistance fighters--escapees from a nearby ghetto--hide in a Ukrainian forest, determined to survive the war, sabotage the German war effort, and rescue as many Jews as they can from the trains taking them to concentration camps. Their leader is relentless in his efforts to turn his ragtag band of men and boys into a disciplined force that accomplishes its goals without losing its moral compass. And so when they're not raiding peasants' homes for food and supplies, or training with the weapons taken from the soldiers they have ambushed and killed, the partisans read books of faith and philosophy that they have rescued from abandoned Jewish homes, and they draw strength from the women, the elderly, and the remarkably resilient orphaned children they are protecting. When they hear about the advances being made by the Soviet Army, the partisans prepare for what they know will be a furious attack on their compound by the retreating Germans. In the heartbreaking aftermath of the assault, the survivors emerge from the forest to bury their dead, care for their wounded, and grimly confront a world that is surprised by their existence--and profoundly unwelcoming.
Narrated by seventeen-year-old Edmund--a member of the group who maintains his own inner resolve with memories of his parents and their life before the war--this powerful story of Jews who fought back is suffused with the riveting detail that Aharon Appelfeld is uniquely able to bring to his award-winning novels.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
71 people are currently reading
2698 people want to read
About the author
Aharon Appelfeld
65 books199 followersAHARON APPELFELD is the author of more than forty works of fiction and nonfiction, including Until the Dawn's Light and The Iron Tracks (both winners of the National Jewish Book Award) and The Story of a Life (winner of the Prix Médicis Étranger). Other honors he has received include the Giovanni Bocaccio Literary Prize, the Nelly Sachs Prize, the Israel Prize, the Bialik Prize, the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, and the MLA Commonwealth Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has received honorary degrees from the Jewish Theological Seminary, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and Yeshiva University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
November 26, 2019
Every once in a while I wake up thinking about the book I finished the day before and sometimes it’s with a haunting feeling that makes me realize that it’s one I won’t forget and that I should have rated it higher . This is one of those books and this morning I decided this was definitely a five star book. Told through the eyes of a seventeen year old Edmund hiding in a Ukrainian forest with a small group of resistors, it’s a story of the atrocities of war. It’s a story of the holocaust even though we don’t see the camps, we know these people in this resistance group have escaped them and that most of their families may not have. It’s a story of bravery, of overcoming fears and doubts and depression trying to do what they must do, fighting Germans, raiding nearby farms and homes for food, saving Jews off the trains leading them to death.
It’s filled with wonderful characters who touched my heart. Besides Edmund, there is Tsila, a ninety three year old grandmother who cooks for them and gives them stories of their families, Milio, a mute two year old boy saved by them, Danzig who becomes his father, Kamil, their leader who who encourages them to save others, to stay alive and for some to be faithful Jews and others. Not all are Jews, and even those that are, not all are devout, but Kamil reinforces the importance of their Jewish identity through reading and discussing the books they find as they loot. The power of the books is stunning, reminding them of their families, their previous lives. They are almost a family, but each suffers their own burdens - who they lost, who they left behind. It’s gut wrenching as we experience their lives before the war, their dreams and delusions, as some lose their lives on the mission and some lose their minds. This is a heartbreaking coming of age story, introspective, moving , beautifully told and important as all of these stories are.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Schocken Books (Random House) through Edelweiss.
It’s filled with wonderful characters who touched my heart. Besides Edmund, there is Tsila, a ninety three year old grandmother who cooks for them and gives them stories of their families, Milio, a mute two year old boy saved by them, Danzig who becomes his father, Kamil, their leader who who encourages them to save others, to stay alive and for some to be faithful Jews and others. Not all are Jews, and even those that are, not all are devout, but Kamil reinforces the importance of their Jewish identity through reading and discussing the books they find as they loot. The power of the books is stunning, reminding them of their families, their previous lives. They are almost a family, but each suffers their own burdens - who they lost, who they left behind. It’s gut wrenching as we experience their lives before the war, their dreams and delusions, as some lose their lives on the mission and some lose their minds. This is a heartbreaking coming of age story, introspective, moving , beautifully told and important as all of these stories are.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Schocken Books (Random House) through Edelweiss.
January 27, 2020
Holocaust Remembrance Day. A group of partisians, hiding in a Ukraine forest, are determined to survive and help others survive as well. A young boy whose parents tell him to run as the Jews are being taken from the ghetto, find his way to the group hiding in the forest. it is through this group and others who come that we learn what is being done to the Jews in the villages.
A different viewpoint here as most of the story takes place within the camp and among the partisians. As horrible events are occuring outside of the camp, those in the camp take comfort in their religion and are determined to hold on to their humanity. So, it is also a novel of love, of a shared humanity and comfort in the face of adversity. The characters question what their fate will be, if they will find alive the lost family members that are gone. It is a sad novel but also one of a shared commitment and most of all hope.
"It's not easy to be a twig rescued from the fire. You keep burning but, defiantly, you are not consumed."
"I suddenly understood that each of us carries within him not only painful experiences that could unnerve him at a dark hour but also strong words to toughen his resolve."
ARC from Edelweiss.
A different viewpoint here as most of the story takes place within the camp and among the partisians. As horrible events are occuring outside of the camp, those in the camp take comfort in their religion and are determined to hold on to their humanity. So, it is also a novel of love, of a shared humanity and comfort in the face of adversity. The characters question what their fate will be, if they will find alive the lost family members that are gone. It is a sad novel but also one of a shared commitment and most of all hope.
"It's not easy to be a twig rescued from the fire. You keep burning but, defiantly, you are not consumed."
"I suddenly understood that each of us carries within him not only painful experiences that could unnerve him at a dark hour but also strong words to toughen his resolve."
ARC from Edelweiss.
October 27, 2023
Mi ero pressoché dimenticato di questo libro acquistato 5 anni fa senza nulla sapere del suo autore né della trama, ma qualche settimana fa, dopo aver letto un commento lusinghiero di un’altra sua opera, “Badenheim 1939”, mi sono ricordato che quel nome, Aaron Applefeld [1932-2018], non mi suonava del tutto estraneo e ho deciso di leggere questo “Il Partigiano Edmond”, una delle ultime opere di questo scrittore: un romanzo sulla resistenza ebrea della II Guerra Mondiale, la storia di un manipolo di giovani Ebrei sfuggiti ai rastrellamenti tedeschi in Ucraina, ritrovatisi a formare una formazione spontanea di resistenza alla deportazione nei campi di sterminio attraverso azioni di sabotaggio dei treni che trasportavano masse indifese di borghesi verso l’annientamento.
Un romanzo in cui gli episodi di guerriglia e gli scontri a fuoco sono soltanto accennati mentre il racconto si incentra sulla difficile vita da campo di questi combattenti civili che hanno preso in mano il fucile, la fratellanza d’intenti che li unisce pur nell’affiorare dei contrasti per le loro diverse ideologie, la difficile vita quotidiana e sui pendii nevosi dei Carpazi e gli ostacoli all’approvvigionamento, la costante vicinanza della morte per mano di un nemico perennemente in agguato.
Un libro che all’azione dunque privilegia gli stati d’animo, l’introspezione personale e di gruppo, la sensibilità di questi cuori giovani e idealisti.
Un romanzo in cui gli episodi di guerriglia e gli scontri a fuoco sono soltanto accennati mentre il racconto si incentra sulla difficile vita da campo di questi combattenti civili che hanno preso in mano il fucile, la fratellanza d’intenti che li unisce pur nell’affiorare dei contrasti per le loro diverse ideologie, la difficile vita quotidiana e sui pendii nevosi dei Carpazi e gli ostacoli all’approvvigionamento, la costante vicinanza della morte per mano di un nemico perennemente in agguato.
Un libro che all’azione dunque privilegia gli stati d’animo, l’introspezione personale e di gruppo, la sensibilità di questi cuori giovani e idealisti.
November 10, 2021
Read this for my English 271 class on film and literature of the Holocaust. I'm giving To the Edge of Sorrow four stars because I'm glad I was able to read this and sort of "experience" reading these Jewish people, soldiers, farmers, ordinary people, fight for their lives outside in the world rather than in an internment camp. I'm used to reading literature of the Holocaust that take place in internment camps so this sort of gives fresh perspective of what people like Edmund and these bands of Jewish fighters (physically and metaphorically) fight for their lives and their survival until the war ends.
This ultimately was a good read and experiencing reading this was both intriguing and heartbreaking.
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This ultimately was a good read and experiencing reading this was both intriguing and heartbreaking.
Find me on:
My Blog | My BookTube | My Book Club | Instagram | Twitter
March 19, 2017
È interessante la chiave che Appelfeld ha scelto per raccontare una storia di guerra: la chiave spirituale. L'impostazione realistica delle narrazioni postbelliche di argomento partigiano hanno poco a che fare con questo romanzo: prima di tutto perché i fatti raccontati non sono avvenuti (e non parlo di dettagli secondari di una storia verosimile: se davvero qualche brigata partigiana fosse riuscita a far deragliare i treni diretti ai campi di sterminio la storiografia sarebbe diversa), e poi perché al narratore interessa restituire prima di tutto lo spirito che anima i combattenti. È uno spirito che si manifesta nel loro modo di vivere, attento a tutti, e ai deboli in particolare, opposto al male che stanno combattendo. Le descrizioni della vita comunitaria della brigata fanno capire perché loro sono “i buoni”. Questo è un romanzo che non lascia dubbi su chi siano i buoni e chi i cattivi: i personaggi non sono dominati da dissidi interiori, non c'è il solito “lato maledetto” del personaggio buono e l'altrettanto solito “lato buono” del cattivo di turno: c'è il bene, a cui aderiscono i partigiani, e c'è il male, i tedeschi. In mezzo, i contadini ucraini.
In questa lotta tra il male e il bene, l'ebraismo non è un elemento secondario, accidentale: i buoni non sono casualmente ebrei, ma sono buoni proprio perché fondano la propria spiritualità nella tradizione ebraica. Sia chiaro: non ci sono né rabbini né personaggi particolarmente devoti, anzi, più di qualcuno è ateo e/o comunista. Però i buoni sanno che se non curano con la dovuta attenzione la propria vita spirituale la lotta non ha senso: si lotta sempre per qualcosa che valga. È per questo che Kamil, la guida militare e spirituale della brigata ebraica, dice «se non usciremo dai boschi pienamente ebrei sarà segno che non abbiamo imparato nulla»: si lotta per il popolo ebraico intero, per non cedere quello che si è. Se si cede sul piano spirituale la battaglia è persa.
La tensione spirituale del romanzo, però, non è mai esplicitata, se non nelle parole di Kamil, riportate dal narratore. E qui veniamo a quello che non mi ha convinto di questa narrazione: il narratore è un ragazzo diciassettenne, strappato dalla sua vita di benestante figlio di una famiglia tutto sommato normale, che si ritrova a condividere le sue giornate con i partigiani. Da un ragazzo del genere mi aspetto: che sia sconvolto per come è cambiata la sua esistenza tranquilla; che sia arrabbiato per lo stesso motivo; che metta in discussione dogmi e disciplina, vista l'età; che ingigantisca la percezione degli avvenimenti che lo coinvolgono; che, in un'età così importante per la formazione personale, rifletta in modo profondo e fruttuoso su quello che gli capita. Niente di tutto questo: Edmond riporta gli avvenimenti così come sono e descrive in modo abbastanza neutro la vita di questa comunità. Il tono del romanzo è definito “epico” sulla quarta di copertina. Io direi quasi cronachistico, vista l'asciuttezza dello stile (non è un'offesa, è una parola come un'altra per descriverlo). Questo tono, secondo me, cozza con la narrazione in prima persona, soprattutto se questa prima persona è un ragazzo diciassettenne. In un romanzo del genere la prima persona avrebbe dovuto – ma la mia percezione è prbabilmente dovuta al sistema di generi a cui siamo abituati – parlare di sé, della propria percezione, dei rapporti con gli altri, in un tono un po' più intimistico. Anche il focus sulla vita comunitaria cozza un pochino con il tono epico-cronachistico, che sarebbe stato più adeguato a un focus sulle battaglie, mentre qui le azioni militari passano quasi inosservate.
Nulla di male, per carità. Solo che questo narratore in prima persona mi risulta un po' stridente. Colpa della mia vecchiaia, che mi rende incapace di essere un po' più elastica, temo.
In questa lotta tra il male e il bene, l'ebraismo non è un elemento secondario, accidentale: i buoni non sono casualmente ebrei, ma sono buoni proprio perché fondano la propria spiritualità nella tradizione ebraica. Sia chiaro: non ci sono né rabbini né personaggi particolarmente devoti, anzi, più di qualcuno è ateo e/o comunista. Però i buoni sanno che se non curano con la dovuta attenzione la propria vita spirituale la lotta non ha senso: si lotta sempre per qualcosa che valga. È per questo che Kamil, la guida militare e spirituale della brigata ebraica, dice «se non usciremo dai boschi pienamente ebrei sarà segno che non abbiamo imparato nulla»: si lotta per il popolo ebraico intero, per non cedere quello che si è. Se si cede sul piano spirituale la battaglia è persa.
La tensione spirituale del romanzo, però, non è mai esplicitata, se non nelle parole di Kamil, riportate dal narratore. E qui veniamo a quello che non mi ha convinto di questa narrazione: il narratore è un ragazzo diciassettenne, strappato dalla sua vita di benestante figlio di una famiglia tutto sommato normale, che si ritrova a condividere le sue giornate con i partigiani. Da un ragazzo del genere mi aspetto: che sia sconvolto per come è cambiata la sua esistenza tranquilla; che sia arrabbiato per lo stesso motivo; che metta in discussione dogmi e disciplina, vista l'età; che ingigantisca la percezione degli avvenimenti che lo coinvolgono; che, in un'età così importante per la formazione personale, rifletta in modo profondo e fruttuoso su quello che gli capita. Niente di tutto questo: Edmond riporta gli avvenimenti così come sono e descrive in modo abbastanza neutro la vita di questa comunità. Il tono del romanzo è definito “epico” sulla quarta di copertina. Io direi quasi cronachistico, vista l'asciuttezza dello stile (non è un'offesa, è una parola come un'altra per descriverlo). Questo tono, secondo me, cozza con la narrazione in prima persona, soprattutto se questa prima persona è un ragazzo diciassettenne. In un romanzo del genere la prima persona avrebbe dovuto – ma la mia percezione è prbabilmente dovuta al sistema di generi a cui siamo abituati – parlare di sé, della propria percezione, dei rapporti con gli altri, in un tono un po' più intimistico. Anche il focus sulla vita comunitaria cozza un pochino con il tono epico-cronachistico, che sarebbe stato più adeguato a un focus sulle battaglie, mentre qui le azioni militari passano quasi inosservate.
Nulla di male, per carità. Solo che questo narratore in prima persona mi risulta un po' stridente. Colpa della mia vecchiaia, che mi rende incapace di essere un po' più elastica, temo.
January 25, 2020
This is an "against all odds" story of WWII Jewish resistance fighters. They're a small group, living under brutally difficult physical conditions. Yet in spite of their challenges, fears, and the relentless physical toll, each has crafted a way to keep from losing his or her humanity. It's that shared commitment to sanity and decency which keeps the group from splintering. They have only Jewishness in common, and most are far-removed from any spiritual ties to their grandparents' cultural traditions. Still, they are able to bind as one cohesive identity.
The story is beautifully written and the characters, though described sparingly, seem somehow fully known.
The story is beautifully written and the characters, though described sparingly, seem somehow fully known.
April 7, 2020
Ratings:
Writing 5
Story line 5
Characters 5
Emotional impact 5
Overall rating 5
Writing 5
Story line 5
Characters 5
Emotional impact 5
Overall rating 5
May 6, 2020
3.5 This book had small moments that touched me, though it was written in a distant, unemotional style. I'm not sure if this is due to the translation &, unfortunately, I don't know Hebrew. Most of the sadness in the novel was already known to me. It is eerie to read about the resistance fighters raiding homes of Jewish people now occupied by Christians. The ease with which the new people inhabit someone else's space is still jarring, especially since the former owners have been deported to death camps.Though the book left me thinking, I didn't feel for any character. The sadness is about the situation and how the behavior never stops
April 20, 2020
To the Edge of Sorrow, is a profound book, in many aspects.
Appelfeld leaves nothing to the imagination, as far as word-imagery, illuminating not only the physical horrors, losses, and sorrows of war, but also the emotional perceptions, repressions, and ability to forge through each day, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour.
Judaism is a central theme, within the pages, and how it’s education is part of the partisans’ daily ritual. Whether believers, or not, it is expected that the entire group participates.
The story, with its characters, and depictions, still lingers within me, and will, for quite some time. It is one of those books, that for me, is difficult to let go of.
I have been an avid reader of Aharon Appelfeld's books. Sadly, this was his last one, as he died in 2018.
Appelfeld leaves nothing to the imagination, as far as word-imagery, illuminating not only the physical horrors, losses, and sorrows of war, but also the emotional perceptions, repressions, and ability to forge through each day, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour.
Judaism is a central theme, within the pages, and how it’s education is part of the partisans’ daily ritual. Whether believers, or not, it is expected that the entire group participates.
The story, with its characters, and depictions, still lingers within me, and will, for quite some time. It is one of those books, that for me, is difficult to let go of.
I have been an avid reader of Aharon Appelfeld's books. Sadly, this was his last one, as he died in 2018.
Want to read
January 28, 2020***************
The Story of a Life 3 stars
The Story of a Life 3 stars
February 25, 2020
Like Appelfeld’s other works which I have read To the Edge was anything but a lighthearted, ‘enjoyable’ read. Its inherently serious subject matter was underscored by the expertise with which he created it. As with his other novels his use of spare, direct prose got one directly to the heart of the immense struggles the characters were having. The insight and empathy with which their complex emotions were depicted was remarkable.
Without using the term PTSD the author demonstrated an impressive understanding of how such things as intrusive memories, remorse and guilt, sudden changes in mood, dreams related to lost loved ones, etc can affect a survivor. He also depicted the complicated relationships such traumatized people have with each other in powerful and poignant ways. What an amazing collection of characters populate this story: from a 17 year old narrator and main protagonist who had to abandon his parents in order to survive, to a 2 year old mute child, to an 8 year old genius, to a spiritual but non religious commander, to a 90 year old woman whose spirituality brings comfort to many, to avowed Communists who disparage anything religious or spiritual, to a gentile Ukrainian who joined the band of Jewish resistance fighters out of guilt for what his fellow countrymen had allowed the Nazis to do to the Jews, etc.
Through the use of brief chapters of 2-4 pages in length Appelfeld gradually revealed the inner workings of a few of these characters. As the 17 year old noted, ‘Everyone has secrets.’ The author did a masterful job of portraying these. My only wish is that somehow he had done this with more of these fascinating characters.
In an interview which he gave in 2010 about another one of his novels, the author noted that all of his books are autobiographical in some respects. Eg, he noted that he was cared for by escaped prisoners and others for awhile in the forests of Ukraine as a child during the war. He must have created these very real like characters based on those experiences. A link to that interview and a YouTube interview he gave in 2005 are below.
IMHO, this is clearly a 5 star book which I recommend highly. But be prepared for what is a heart wrenching read at times.
https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/books/...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJkkA...
Without using the term PTSD the author demonstrated an impressive understanding of how such things as intrusive memories, remorse and guilt, sudden changes in mood, dreams related to lost loved ones, etc can affect a survivor. He also depicted the complicated relationships such traumatized people have with each other in powerful and poignant ways. What an amazing collection of characters populate this story: from a 17 year old narrator and main protagonist who had to abandon his parents in order to survive, to a 2 year old mute child, to an 8 year old genius, to a spiritual but non religious commander, to a 90 year old woman whose spirituality brings comfort to many, to avowed Communists who disparage anything religious or spiritual, to a gentile Ukrainian who joined the band of Jewish resistance fighters out of guilt for what his fellow countrymen had allowed the Nazis to do to the Jews, etc.
Through the use of brief chapters of 2-4 pages in length Appelfeld gradually revealed the inner workings of a few of these characters. As the 17 year old noted, ‘Everyone has secrets.’ The author did a masterful job of portraying these. My only wish is that somehow he had done this with more of these fascinating characters.
In an interview which he gave in 2010 about another one of his novels, the author noted that all of his books are autobiographical in some respects. Eg, he noted that he was cared for by escaped prisoners and others for awhile in the forests of Ukraine as a child during the war. He must have created these very real like characters based on those experiences. A link to that interview and a YouTube interview he gave in 2005 are below.
IMHO, this is clearly a 5 star book which I recommend highly. But be prepared for what is a heart wrenching read at times.
https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/books/...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJkkA...
August 2, 2020
Very powerful and moving as well as beautifully written. This is a story about Jewish partisans in the Ukraine during the second world war. How people find strength and humanity in times of war. It also highlights how brutal local citizens were to the Jews, often equal to the brutality of the Germans.
November 13, 2020
I've never heard of Appelfeld before but now I'll be reading all his books. This story was told in very simple language but he was able to convey complex feelings and thoughts. The story of community in the face of hate and death and destruction. Regrets and hopes and love.
January 22, 2020
Profound
The writer takes you into the very soul of the resistance fighters.
The writer takes you into the very soul of the resistance fighters.
October 13, 2020
Moving story of Jewish partisans brigade in WWII. Took me some time to get to know the characters, but once I did developed a great appreciation for the mix of personalities ages and backgrounds of those who made up these fighting groups. It’s a personal story narrated by a young man and not illustrative of the broader war effort but there’s a lot of intention behind the personas that are described. Those who are more focused on action vs those who are about words, young and old, parents, children and grandchildren etc.
February 3, 2020
Thank you to Aharon Appelfeld and Goodreads.com I won this book in a Giveaway.
This book takes you on an incredible journey through a couple of months time and makes you think about your actions and how you would do things differently. The main character of the book finally realizes his wrongs because of his own awareness and the scriptures that are being read. Spending time with yourself in reflection and others who may not share your opinion is truly food for thought for your soul.
This book takes you on an incredible journey through a couple of months time and makes you think about your actions and how you would do things differently. The main character of the book finally realizes his wrongs because of his own awareness and the scriptures that are being read. Spending time with yourself in reflection and others who may not share your opinion is truly food for thought for your soul.
December 3, 2023
I read this book for “The Forward” Book Group and look forward to the discussion this week. This book left me totally ferklempt. No need to write the synopsis; you can get that anywhere. I learned, I laughed, I cried, I hoped, I loved. This book touched my heart.
December 16, 2023
Spare, literary, nearly perfect. Characters sparsely described but fully known and loved.
"Kamil will not let depression gain a foothold. That is a luxury, he argues."
"Tsila knows Miriam's pain. It's not easy to be a twig rescued from the fire. You keep burning but defiantly, you are not consumed."
"Although Hermann Cohen spoke with an old-fashioned moderation, his words were strangely effective. I've already learned: strong words don't always sway the mind. It's often practical, logical, colorless language that works its way into the heart's hidden recesses."
"Soup without a decent piece of bread is a mockery."
"Kamil will not let depression gain a foothold. That is a luxury, he argues."
"Tsila knows Miriam's pain. It's not easy to be a twig rescued from the fire. You keep burning but defiantly, you are not consumed."
"Although Hermann Cohen spoke with an old-fashioned moderation, his words were strangely effective. I've already learned: strong words don't always sway the mind. It's often practical, logical, colorless language that works its way into the heart's hidden recesses."
"Soup without a decent piece of bread is a mockery."
September 4, 2020
The title itself, To the Edge of Sorrow, is brilliant and so appropriate for this heart-wrenching novel. The depths of the protagonist’s grief and devastation was on full display for us to witness and experience.
The novel is set during the Holocaust and the characters are living as partisan fighters in the Ukrainian forest. Most affecting is the protagonist’s guilt and shame over his irrevocably damaged relationship with his parents and how he realizes he will never have opportunity to repair it and ask for forgiveness. Against the odds, he and his fellow Jews are facing the daunting task of surviving Nazi destruction by hiding in the woods. Together they successfully work as a team to outlive the Germans and rescue more Jews from death, yet they all remain emotionally distant from each other for fear of losing more friends and because they are ashamed of behavioral mistakes made in their immediate past. They unnecessarily, yet brutally judge themselves when they are literally living in hell.
My only complaint was the ending. The last page of the novel was incongruous with the entire book and it was a disappointment.
The novel is set during the Holocaust and the characters are living as partisan fighters in the Ukrainian forest. Most affecting is the protagonist’s guilt and shame over his irrevocably damaged relationship with his parents and how he realizes he will never have opportunity to repair it and ask for forgiveness. Against the odds, he and his fellow Jews are facing the daunting task of surviving Nazi destruction by hiding in the woods. Together they successfully work as a team to outlive the Germans and rescue more Jews from death, yet they all remain emotionally distant from each other for fear of losing more friends and because they are ashamed of behavioral mistakes made in their immediate past. They unnecessarily, yet brutally judge themselves when they are literally living in hell.
My only complaint was the ending. The last page of the novel was incongruous with the entire book and it was a disappointment.
March 13, 2020
I wanted to love this book and I went in primed to do so. Historical Fiction is my favorite genre and WWII is my favorite niche. I love reading about the struggles and the triumphs and the underdog is my archetype of choice. I know that Appelfeld is meant to be the renowned author when it comes to chronicling the Holocaust through fiction, but this book just didn't do it for me.
The story was more of rediscovering or keeping faith rather than combatting evil. There didn't seem to be much detailed external struggle, just a lot of infighting between fellow Jewish rebels layered with internal struggles. Man vs. self is just boring to me. It always has been. It is a preference and so it is subjective, but I just found this to be too... precious.
That said, I want to honor the man that so many others have, so it will not be my last foray into Appelfeld's work.
The story was more of rediscovering or keeping faith rather than combatting evil. There didn't seem to be much detailed external struggle, just a lot of infighting between fellow Jewish rebels layered with internal struggles. Man vs. self is just boring to me. It always has been. It is a preference and so it is subjective, but I just found this to be too... precious.
That said, I want to honor the man that so many others have, so it will not be my last foray into Appelfeld's work.
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April 4, 2020I'm not sure how to rate this book so I'm not going to. I'm, well, puzzled by it. And a bit frustrated - when I reflect on the characters, the themes touched upon, I feel there was so, so much here that should have moved me a great deal, yet didn't. The writing struck me as odd, oddly formal. I have not read Aharon Appelfeld before so perhaps this is a hallmark of his writing I was simply unable to appreciate. I do feel this may have been what kept me from feeling much of anything for the main character. The novel was obviously meant to be reflective rather than driven by any sense of suspense or narrative arc & that usually suits me fine but not this time. To the Edge of Sorrow is the only book I can remember having read which was set during WWII that left me feeling so little after completing it. Reading others' reviews, I feel that this book must have simply gone over my head.
March 18, 2020
In spartan prose with sparse plot, Appelfeld creates a novel about a group of brave, steadfast Jewish fighters in the Ukranian countryside who are working to save others and promulgate resistance to the German army. They raid the farms to get supplies for their band, trying to hold out until the Russians defeat the Germans. Despite the lack of suspense, these struggles are moving in a very quiet tone. Relationships dominate the partisans and philosophical religious debates occur among them. This is a very quiet but absorbing work.
February 16, 2020
A book of wishful thinking, survivor guilt, and disturbing memories amid calamity: a group of Jewish fighters, two Jewish children, and some industrious Jewish women work together in hiding toward the end of the war. How many Jews on trains can they save? Can learning one word of Hebrew per day strengthen one's resolve? Sadly, this is Appelfeld's last book, as he died in 2018.
August 3, 2020
This book was pretty boring. It’s basically just a bunch of random thoughts put together. No real story to get into.
March 11, 2023
Aharon Appelfeld is one of my favorite writers and this may be my favorite of the books that I have read by him. As with the other novels I've read by this author, the story is centered on World War II and the Holocaust. While in other books Appelfeld refers to events of history rather obliquely, in this one he is more direct, referring to the Nazis, describing their persecution of the Jews and discussing actual events, such as the Battle of Stalingrad. The narrator is a 17-year-old youth who has joined a group of Jewish partisans who have fled the Nazis and have taken refuge on a mountaintop. There they train for battle against the Germans, conduct raids on homes and businesses in nearby towns to obtain supplies and eventually engage in operations designed to interfere with the transport of Jews, rescuing some and nursing them back to health.
The story is told in short chapters of no more than three or four pages and its power is derived not from dramatic events, of which there are few in the novel, but from the humanity of the characters. We learn of the backgrounds of the group, their histories, philosophies, professions and family life. The little details described, reading in the evenings at home with the family, going to school, making meals, etc., bring into perspective the enormous crimes of the Nazi regime. Similarly, the great hopes of the group, their plan to make a meaningful contribution to the defeat of the Germans, to rescue other Jews and eventually re-unite with family and friends to lives like those that they led before the war, unrealistic in light of what the reader knows of the actual history, further emphasizes the cruelties inflicted by the Nazis.
In other ways, the story is inspirational, as we see people from different backgrounds form a community, live for each other rather than selfishly, and come to the realization that survival depends not on assimilating into a larger group but in maintaining their identity, values and heritage.
An excellent, moving novel by one of the great writers. Highly recommended.
The story is told in short chapters of no more than three or four pages and its power is derived not from dramatic events, of which there are few in the novel, but from the humanity of the characters. We learn of the backgrounds of the group, their histories, philosophies, professions and family life. The little details described, reading in the evenings at home with the family, going to school, making meals, etc., bring into perspective the enormous crimes of the Nazi regime. Similarly, the great hopes of the group, their plan to make a meaningful contribution to the defeat of the Germans, to rescue other Jews and eventually re-unite with family and friends to lives like those that they led before the war, unrealistic in light of what the reader knows of the actual history, further emphasizes the cruelties inflicted by the Nazis.
In other ways, the story is inspirational, as we see people from different backgrounds form a community, live for each other rather than selfishly, and come to the realization that survival depends not on assimilating into a larger group but in maintaining their identity, values and heritage.
An excellent, moving novel by one of the great writers. Highly recommended.
December 5, 2020
This is the 3rd Appelfeld novel I've read recently (in translation) and continue to be impressed by his astute observations of human behaviour and a writing style that, despite his emotionally-charged subject matter, does not indulge in sensationalism or melodrama. The author follows a group of young men and boys who are part of a small partisan unit in the Carpathian Mountains during the Holocaust and who dedicate themselves to derailing the Nazi trains transporting Jews to the death camps.
His characters are superbly drawn: from their charismatic leader, Kamil, to the communists and students among them; from the elderly Grandma Tsirl with her traditions and wisdom, to Tsila, who cooks for them to Felix, who without the charisma of Kamil, organises their missions and equipment; from Danzig, who turns his grief to love for an abandoned toddler; to Isador, who without being "religious" chants the Hebrew prayers he remembers from his grandparents. The shared goals of these disparate fighters are shaped by morality and compassion, kindness towards each other and loyalty, despite the evil that each had witnessed before escaping to the forests to join with the partisans. Each of them has endured personal loss, which lies deep within and often is partnered by the guilt each carries for the lives of his family he was not able to save and for his own survival.
Appelfeld presents Kamil's motivational words throughout the narrative so that we understand the heavy weight of responsibility and devotion that is at the centre of their missions: "You are going out tonight to combat evil. Know that you are messengers of the great Jewish faith, which from time immemorial has honoured the good and despised evil. Evil is the enemy of humanity, and you are going out tonight to defeat it." This is the spirit that dominates the author's portrayal of Jews who fought back.
His characters are superbly drawn: from their charismatic leader, Kamil, to the communists and students among them; from the elderly Grandma Tsirl with her traditions and wisdom, to Tsila, who cooks for them to Felix, who without the charisma of Kamil, organises their missions and equipment; from Danzig, who turns his grief to love for an abandoned toddler; to Isador, who without being "religious" chants the Hebrew prayers he remembers from his grandparents. The shared goals of these disparate fighters are shaped by morality and compassion, kindness towards each other and loyalty, despite the evil that each had witnessed before escaping to the forests to join with the partisans. Each of them has endured personal loss, which lies deep within and often is partnered by the guilt each carries for the lives of his family he was not able to save and for his own survival.
Appelfeld presents Kamil's motivational words throughout the narrative so that we understand the heavy weight of responsibility and devotion that is at the centre of their missions: "You are going out tonight to combat evil. Know that you are messengers of the great Jewish faith, which from time immemorial has honoured the good and despised evil. Evil is the enemy of humanity, and you are going out tonight to defeat it." This is the spirit that dominates the author's portrayal of Jews who fought back.
November 29, 2020
I'd not heard of Aharon Appelfeld, but found this Holocaust novel at the library ten months into the pandemic while thousands of people die daily.
Set in Ukraine and in the Carpathian Mountains, the story is narrated by Edmund who is burdened with guilt at the way he treated his parents as he took leave of them at a train station. They were taken to an unknown concentration camp and he escaped to a group of mainly Jewish partisans led by Kamil and Felix. The men and women and a few children take care of each other and dedicate themselves to saving as many Jews as they can by targeted sabotage of train tracks and hit-and-run attacks on German troops. They break into local farms, pharmacies and businesses, but never take more than they need. They try not to strip people of all they have or of their dignity. The children are taught. Books are a key to their faith and devotion, all sorts of books from Talmudic tests to Proust and Dostoevsky and so many other writers. They read and teach each other when not training or working or going on missions.
Despite its circular, sometimes repetitious structure, I loved seeing the dignity and commitment of each character swell. Each had a role. Each was well-trained. Each was able to speak or be silent, to withhold or reveal life stories. Edmund's "take" on each of his companions is priceless. No one knows anyone's full story. And in the end, as camp survivors and partisans make their way down the mountain to the train station, many just walk off without a thanks or farewell. All are going home, wherever home is.
Astonishing story of many tales, many people, many voices, many skills, many prayers, many commitments to persist, to live with hope.
Set in Ukraine and in the Carpathian Mountains, the story is narrated by Edmund who is burdened with guilt at the way he treated his parents as he took leave of them at a train station. They were taken to an unknown concentration camp and he escaped to a group of mainly Jewish partisans led by Kamil and Felix. The men and women and a few children take care of each other and dedicate themselves to saving as many Jews as they can by targeted sabotage of train tracks and hit-and-run attacks on German troops. They break into local farms, pharmacies and businesses, but never take more than they need. They try not to strip people of all they have or of their dignity. The children are taught. Books are a key to their faith and devotion, all sorts of books from Talmudic tests to Proust and Dostoevsky and so many other writers. They read and teach each other when not training or working or going on missions.
Despite its circular, sometimes repetitious structure, I loved seeing the dignity and commitment of each character swell. Each had a role. Each was well-trained. Each was able to speak or be silent, to withhold or reveal life stories. Edmund's "take" on each of his companions is priceless. No one knows anyone's full story. And in the end, as camp survivors and partisans make their way down the mountain to the train station, many just walk off without a thanks or farewell. All are going home, wherever home is.
Astonishing story of many tales, many people, many voices, many skills, many prayers, many commitments to persist, to live with hope.
April 10, 2020
Interesting book from an interesting writer. Appelfeld was born in Bukovina, presently Ukraine, but part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time. He spoke many languages, but his mother tongue was German, the language of culture of the Empire. That's what his mother spoke to him. But he couldn't write in German, especially a story about the WWWII. He learned Hebrew and wrote in Hebrew. Amazing. This choice of language certainly affects his writing, since you don't write the same in one language or another. And his writing is reflexive, thoughtful, insightful, full of religiousness.
That's a theme that seems to be a constant in him. I had read previously The Conversion, which turned around the secularization of Jews in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and their conversion in to Catholic faith as a means of integration. There was there a struggle between Jewish spirituality and secular Agnosticism. This subject comes back in this story of a group of Jewish partisans fighting against the Nazis and looting antisemitic Ruthenians and Ukrainians. Some of them are Agnostic communists, others are relapsed Jews and some are practising Jews. The subject of religion as identity appears all over the book.
The narrative is delicate, built in short chapters with as much, or even more, reflexion as action. At the end of the book, one closes its last page on a low spirit. Liberation is not the end of struggles, just the beginning of something unknown, which doesn't look positive. Indeed, the reader has read about the fate of the survivals of those Jewish communities in Eastern Europe and the personal fate of the author.
That's a theme that seems to be a constant in him. I had read previously The Conversion, which turned around the secularization of Jews in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and their conversion in to Catholic faith as a means of integration. There was there a struggle between Jewish spirituality and secular Agnosticism. This subject comes back in this story of a group of Jewish partisans fighting against the Nazis and looting antisemitic Ruthenians and Ukrainians. Some of them are Agnostic communists, others are relapsed Jews and some are practising Jews. The subject of religion as identity appears all over the book.
The narrative is delicate, built in short chapters with as much, or even more, reflexion as action. At the end of the book, one closes its last page on a low spirit. Liberation is not the end of struggles, just the beginning of something unknown, which doesn't look positive. Indeed, the reader has read about the fate of the survivals of those Jewish communities in Eastern Europe and the personal fate of the author.
January 27, 2020
For readers who find Aharon Appelfeld’s writing too metaphorical, this novel will be much more readable, because it’s rooted in the details of real life—in particular, the rugged life of a cadre of Jewish partisans in the Carpathian Mountains during World War II.
Appelfeld (who died two years ago) no doubt drew on his own experiences with Ukrainian partisans for his vivid, multisensory descriptions of the cold, the muck, the limited food, and the comradeship.
Even better than the descriptions are the motley cast. They include the leader Kamil, who teaches Torah and Dostoyevsky as much as he teaches marksmanship; his more silent second-in-command Felix, who is also a far better soldier; the “gentle giant” Danzig; 2-year-old Milio, who won’t talk; the cheerful communist Karl (yes, named for Marx); the spiritual Isidor, who brings the group to tears when he spontaneously chants prayers he doesn’t understand; and the narrator, 17-year-old Edmund, who is wracked with guilt for ignoring his parents while they languished in the ghetto because he was infatuated with a non-Jewish girl.
There isn’t much of a plot. But the ethical dilemmas are sharp. Is it right to steal food from local farmers, who are largely anti-Semitic yet also victimized by the German occupiers? But the Jewish partisans need the food if they are to be strong enough to fight the real enemy, German soldiers.
The novel was first published in Hebrew in 2012 and just now translated into English by Stuart Schoffman.
Appelfeld (who died two years ago) no doubt drew on his own experiences with Ukrainian partisans for his vivid, multisensory descriptions of the cold, the muck, the limited food, and the comradeship.
Even better than the descriptions are the motley cast. They include the leader Kamil, who teaches Torah and Dostoyevsky as much as he teaches marksmanship; his more silent second-in-command Felix, who is also a far better soldier; the “gentle giant” Danzig; 2-year-old Milio, who won’t talk; the cheerful communist Karl (yes, named for Marx); the spiritual Isidor, who brings the group to tears when he spontaneously chants prayers he doesn’t understand; and the narrator, 17-year-old Edmund, who is wracked with guilt for ignoring his parents while they languished in the ghetto because he was infatuated with a non-Jewish girl.
There isn’t much of a plot. But the ethical dilemmas are sharp. Is it right to steal food from local farmers, who are largely anti-Semitic yet also victimized by the German occupiers? But the Jewish partisans need the food if they are to be strong enough to fight the real enemy, German soldiers.
The novel was first published in Hebrew in 2012 and just now translated into English by Stuart Schoffman.
January 23, 2020
Told from the point of view of Edmund, a young teen who escapes at the bidding of his parents as they are boarding a train to be transported to German prison camps, this story is about the Jewish escapees from the ghettos who have banded together to fight German forces in the Ukraine. They have nothing. They must go on raids to even get the food they require to survive, let alone weapons and ammunition to protect themselves. At times, they are holding their guns on those who would normally be neighbors. But the mission is clear. It is paramount that they save as many Jews as possible from the death trains heading for the concentration camps. And that means that they must do anything to survive in order to complete their mission and survive this crazy war. I was moved by the plight of this band of survivors who ranged in age from three to ninety-three. The writing is crisp and to the point. The picture painted of the harsh conditions and the lengths people went to just to survive, or not, had me enthralled at the sheer tenacity of those who had so much to lose. Not knowing if they would survive had me turning the pages just to see if they did. I won't say I enjoyed this story due to the really sad subject matter, but I definitely stayed engrossed. Thank you to Penguin Random House for the advance readers copy. I learned something new today.
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