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benefited if more was written about Alex living in the time he was in, rather than the author spending so much on his own experiences while unraveling his father's past. The story does pose interesting questions about one's identity, and the idea of having to literally be split between two places, two ideals, two extremes. Perhaps there are even more than two - human psychology is complex after all. Yet this opportunity to do so is not explored further.

In later years we learn how Alex kept his Nazi secret to such extremes that even his wife had no idea about it. In fact, it was not until he finally spoke to his son that he came "clean" about his past. Yet these ideas regarding identity are never really explored, and the book merely focuses on the plot aspect of what happened, and also the strange phone calls and encounters the author received during his research. As a reader, I was not interested in the author, but more wanting to be pulled into that time and really be given insight into Alex's experiences. Unfortunately, the book does not offer many new insights into the Holocaust or World War II. Basically it's what we already know, that it was a bad time, that it was cruel and that people unjustly died. Merely giving readers what they already know and what they want to hear is not satisfying. Also, the book felt too long, for there were many dialogue exchanges and detail that not only distracted from Alex's story, but also did not offer anything new or insightful to the narrative.

I would not discourage anyone interested in this tale from pursuing it. In and of itself, it is interesting what happened to this boy, but, how the story was presented was not; for the mere plot alone was not enough to compel me to want to know more. I kept thinking to myself, ok ,but so what? What is there to learn from? (And I don't mean the obvious this was bad, etcetera). But because readers tend to favor more plot-driven material, I can see why many would find this a "page turner".

Yet one who is more driven by ideas and how they are presented and also the memorable ways in which writers describe will probably agree that the narrative is shallow and lacking in real "meat". Ultimately, plot wears thin in my memory, and what I remember are characters, scenes, settings, ideas, and insight. Just reading the book description, it states the following: "A survival story, a grim fairy-tale, and a psychological drama, this remarkable memoir asks provocative questions about identity, complicity, and forgiveness." Well, actually no - it doesn't really digress into any "provocative" anything; it just is. This is what happened, take it or leave it. And aside from the plot line, there isn't much depth I can take away from this book.

Learn more about this author, Jessica Schneider.
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