Night is the story of Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel's childhood during WWII. During a late-night raid, Elie and his Jewish family were taken from their homes and shipped to Auschwitz. The story follows Elie and his father as they struggle to survive the holocaust.
In spite of the many honors of the author, it took quite a few pages of the short novel to really sink into the story. Over the years I've been exposed to many forms of the atrocities that took place during WWII: novels, videos and most recently the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC this summer. For the first half of the novel I didn't find too much that differed from the usual narrative. Forgive me Shannon. But...by the end of the novel the father-son relationship had developed enough to hold my interest. Another aspect of the book that grew on me was Wiesel's emphasis on the Jewish feeling of abandonment.
While it wasn't quite the quality I was expecting, I still enjoyed the novel. It's an above-average depiction of the Jewish persecution during WWII. If you're interested in the holocaust, you'll most likely enjoy the new details and perspectives that this book offers.
2 comments:
I finished this book not too long ago also. I enjoyed it, and I was especially moved by the connection Weisel has to his father, but I have to say I was disappointed. My favorite memoir-type book from the Holocaust is still The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. It's a life changing book.
Hey Maggie. Thanks for the comment. And thanks for the reminder about The Hiding Place. I don't think I've read that one since high school, but I remember it being amazing. I'll definitely have to put it on my list of books to read.
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