This is my first Czech author and I only just realised whilst writing this review that Lustig was at Theresienstadt concentration camp, from where he was later transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp, according to his bio. No wonder the novel is full of so many specific details - sometimes too many.
But despite the grim setting and the constraints of that setting Lustig keeps the tension alive and depicts exceedingly well the three very different characters: Leah - the beautiful insecure young woman of the title, the wily, self serving Villi and the narrator. What I love most is that Lustig is using his talents to bring to life a world - a time and place that must never be forgotten!