Between Gods
Published on 2. July 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-4722-2509-2 (ISBN)
Description
From Alison Pick, the Man-Booker longlisted author of FAR TO GO, comes an unforgettable memoir about family secrets, depression, and the author's journey to reconnect with her Jewish identity.
Shortlisted for the Jewish Quarterly Wingate Prize 2016
Alison Pick was born in the 1970s and raised in a loving, supportive family, but as a teenager she made a discovery that changed her understanding of who she was for ever. She learned that her Pick grandparents, who had escaped from Czechoslovakia during WWII, were Jewish, and that most of this side of the family had died in concentration camps. At this stage she realised that her own father had kept this a secret from Alison and her sister. Engaged to be married to her longterm boyfriend but in the grip of a crippling depression, Alison began to uncover her Jewish heritage, a quest which challenged all her assumptions about her faith, her future, and what it meant to raise a family. An unusual and gripping story, told with all the nuance and drama of a novel, this is a memoir illuminated with heartbreaking insight into the very real lives of the dead, and hard-won hope for all those who carry on after.
Shortlisted for the Jewish Quarterly Wingate Prize 2016
Alison Pick was born in the 1970s and raised in a loving, supportive family, but as a teenager she made a discovery that changed her understanding of who she was for ever. She learned that her Pick grandparents, who had escaped from Czechoslovakia during WWII, were Jewish, and that most of this side of the family had died in concentration camps. At this stage she realised that her own father had kept this a secret from Alison and her sister. Engaged to be married to her longterm boyfriend but in the grip of a crippling depression, Alison began to uncover her Jewish heritage, a quest which challenged all her assumptions about her faith, her future, and what it meant to raise a family. An unusual and gripping story, told with all the nuance and drama of a novel, this is a memoir illuminated with heartbreaking insight into the very real lives of the dead, and hard-won hope for all those who carry on after.
Reviews / Votes
A gripping memoir of a woman who sets out to discover her heritage and finds her identity along the way (4*) * Lady * A fascinating story * Independent * Brave and honest, this book offers an intimate portrait of a woman seeking to heal from inherited family trauma and find the beginnings of peace within her own soul. * Kirkus Reviews * That rare memoir that I couldn't put down... a beautifully woven story of family, partnership, love and reconciliation, not just with one's past but with oneself -- A. M. Homes I was touched by her courage and her candour * Woman & Home * An honest book that ought to start a conversation * Jewish Chronicle * Pick is a marvelous writer, and she vividly recreates the transformation of her relationships... Her path to conversion - complicated, nearly thwarted - is deeply moving in its culmination. Ultimately, this layered look at identity is a call for claiming one's true self * New York Times Book Review * Readers interested in memoirs, Judaism, World War II history, or the Holocaust will certainly be captivated by Pick's engaging and, at times, heart-wrenching narrative * Library Journal * That rare memoir that I couldn't put down... a beautifully woven story of family, partnership, love and reconciliation, not just with one's past but with oneself -- A. M. Homes Brave and honest, this book offers an intimate portrait of a woman seeking to heal from inherited family trauma and find the beginnings of peace within her own soul * Kirkus *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
491 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4722-2509-2 (9781472225092)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Alison Pick is the author of FAR TO GO, longlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize, and winner of the Canadian Jewish Book Award for fiction; and a memoir, BETWEEN GODS, which was shortlisted for the Wingate Prize. She is also the author of two collections of poetry, and a novel, THE SWEET EDGE, all of which were published to wide acclaim. She lives in Toronto, Canada.