DISPLACED PERSONS

by Jonathan Rosen

Miles Asher, a respected physician in the prime of his career, commits a critical error resulting in the sudden death of a patient and friend. His remorse, intensified by the ambiguous circumstances surrounding his father's demise, begins to consume him, threatening both his career and family. Attempting to come to terms with his fallibility, Asher immerses himself in the story of Zigfrid Zantay, a dying patient, who, at one time, had been Asher's mentor. As a child, during World War II, after the Nazis abducted his father, Zantay spent his youth imprisoned in Displaced Persons camps. Asher follows Zantay's quest to discover the fate of his father, mirroring Asher's own search, as they each seek to become liberated from their oppressive pasts. Instead, they uncover evidence of their fathers' inexcusable crimes. In scenes that range from the charged intensity of a hospital emergency room, to a ravaged post-war Europe, to the bowels of Auschwitz, Displaced Persons follows these two untethered souls as they are forced to confront the stigma of intergenerational guilt and the need to persevere over their flawed legacies.

284 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009