Book #124: What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank

Book #124: What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander

October 18, 2014

I added this book to my library ebook "wish list" about a year ago. The title of this short story collection caught my interest, and it is, indeed, a very "Jewish" book. When I was looking for a book to read, I remembered that Englander had written the story "Free Fruit for Young Widows," which had stood out to me in the 2011 greatest short stories collection. That story is, in fact, the last one in this particular book.

The collection has several stories of moderate length (20-30 or more). None of the stories were bad, and a couple were brilliant. I especially enjoyed "Camp Sundown." This story was a psychological thriller. A middle-aged director of a Jewish camp that serves both children and relaxation-seeking elders has to deal with a shocking situation. An elderly woman, a Holocaust survivor, and her friends are convinced that a fellow camper is a former Nazi officer in disguise. The situation gets more and more tense as the elderly demand justice, while the director, who may even believe them, just wants to let it go. It's the last week of the summer, after all. What the elderly ultimately do is insane, and Josh, the director, is stuck in a no-win scenario. It's never confirmed whether or not their suspicions were founded, leaving many questions.

The title story, the first in the collection, is very interested. What do they talk about when they talk about Anne Frank? Who could be trusted to hide them, in case of a second Holocaust. The serious conversations between a Florida Jewish couple and their guests, a Hassidic couple visiting from Jerusalem, were lightened by the fact that they were all stoned. But the dark "game" leads to a tense situation with the Hassidic couple, as the wife Shoshana doubts the morals of her husband Yuri.

I also liked "The Reader," about an unnamed author, past his hay day, and his unsuccessful book tour. His only attendant at any reading is the same obsessive old man, who both annoys and inspires the Author. He still has, at least, the one reader, enough to keep from from quitting his career.

Overall this was a great collection. I was drawn to "Free Fruit for Young Widows," so I'm glad that I read the book from which it originally came. I would be interested in reading more from this author.