Elizabeth Rosner

Two disparate lives collide in this modern novel about a postwar German man and a former Israeli soldier. Written in an delicate yet profoundly visceral prose, this novel that moves back and forth through time seamlessly and plunders the depths of human tragedy and personal history and how it affects the choices of their present situations.
Danzig, a prominent but blocked painter is the son of a bigoted Nazi father who terrorized his family in postwar Germany. Marev is the granddaughter of a Jewish survivor of occupied Holland. She is the newest model in Danzig's painting class at the prestigious San Francisco Art Institute. He searches for inspiration from his models. She finds inspiration for her own pieces by using her collection of maps. Their lives collide and intertwine in this compassionately told tale.
My only issue with this book is that I wanted to read more about Danzig's sister, Margot, and Marev's grandmother, Ilana. However,I think that each of these women would hold their own in subsequent novels. I highly recommend this novel.… (more)