- Fugitive Pieces, Anne Michaels
A reread of a favourite. Possibly the favourite. I haven't gone back to it for a good few years, so it's lovely to see it's still as good as ever.
Jakob is a young Polish Jew whose family is murdered by Nazis. He escapes and is rescued by Athos, a Greek paleobotanist and geologist. Athos smuggles Jakob home to Zakynthos, and there commits to raising him as if he were his own son, gently guiding him through his loss and grief, whilst teaching him about all the things he loves: rocks, poetry, the sea, plants, the stars, language. They talk in terms of limestone and salt and verse, coming to know one another and trying, in time, to build a life together.
The language is beautiful and rich, and yet it’s light and fragmented too. Jakob’s loss, particularly of his sister, Bella, is so painfully and perfectly rendered. Michaels is first and foremost a poet, and it shows.
The latter third of the book switches to Ben, the son of parents who survived, but were forever affected by, the Holocaust. He and Jakob cross paths briefly, but Jakob, now older, a poet, and living in Canada, goes on to have a lasting impact on Ben’s life.
Completely wonderful.
I'm going to go back and catch up on the thread. It moves so fast in these early weeks!