The ghetto in which the Jews have been confined is being liquidated by the Nazis
, and eleven-year-old Hugo is brought by his mother to the local brothel, where
one of the prostitutes has agreed to hide him. Mariana is a bitterly unhappy wom
an who hates what she has done to her life, and night after night Hugo sits in h
er closet and listens uncomprehendingly as she rages at the Nazi soldiers who co
me and go. When she's not mired in self-loathing, Mariana is fiercely protective
of the bewildered, painfully polite young boy.
And Hugo becomes protective o
f Mariana, too, trying to make her laugh when she is depressed, soothing her phy
sical and mental agony with cold compresses. As the memories of his family and f
riends grow dim, Hugo falls in love with Mariana. And as her life spirals downwa
rds, Mariana reaches out for consolation to the adoring boy who is on the cusp o
f manhood.
Multi-award-winning writer Aharon Appelfeld once again crafts out
of the depths of unfathomable tragedy a renewal of life and a deeper understandi
ng of what it means to be human.
