Annelies
A Novel of Anne Frank
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3.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
A breathtaking new novel that asks the question: what if Anne Frank survived the Holocaust?
It is 1945, and Anne Frank is sixteen years old. Having survived the concentration camps but lost her mother and sister, she reunites with her father, Pim, in newly liberated Amsterdam. But Anne is adrift, haunted by the ghost of her sister, Margot, and the atrocities they experienced. Her beloved diary is gone, and her dreams of becoming a writer seem distant and pointless now.
As Anne struggles to build a new life for herself, she grapples with overwhelming grief, heartbreak, and ultimately forgiveness. In this masterful story of trauma and redemption, David Gillham explores with breath-taking empathy the woman - and the writer - Anne Frank might have become.
'An original, intriguing novel' Sunday Times
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
What if Anne Frank had survived the Holocaust? That's the premise in Gillham's well-researched yet disappointing second novel (after City of Women), which ably depicts Anne's life prior to, during, and immediately following the time her family and others were hiding in the space above her father's workplace. Scenes of the packed train to the concentration camps; the despicable conditions she endured alongside her mother and her sister, Margot, after being separated from her father; and her final days with Margot are all harrowing. What falls short is the portrayal of Anne after she survives and comes home. An angry, guilt-burdened young woman, she hangs on to so much fury that the constant bickering with her father and everyone else in her new life become repetitive. That it takes 300 pages for Anne to learn her father has the precious diary she thought was lost forever is also a distraction. Nevertheless, as Anne comes into her own as the world-famous writer she aspired to be, Gillham skillfully traces her trajectory in handling survivor's guilt, transformed from a person fueled with rage and revenge to one who finally understands she can live her life as fully as she can and honor the dead by using her diary to teach the world about her experiences. It's a noble effort, but this novel never lives up to the promise of its premise.
