Far to Go...

I just finished reading Alison Pick's Far to Go. I have to say, I was severely impressed by Alison's writing and the structure of her story. Wonderfully inventive and complex. For those who haven't read it, this story deals with the Holocaust, but not in a direct way. The characters are always just on the outskirts of this horrible happening, although their tragic fate is known from the very first pages.
 
I have to say that this book affected me very deeply. In fact, it created an angst in me that I am not sure what to do with. I became very invested in the lives of these characters, especially the little six-year-old boy in the book, Pepik. As many of you know, I also have a six-year-old boy. And often, I am hesitant to read stories in which children are placed in tragic circumstances. At the same time, I usually find myself captivated by this sort of subject matter, I think mainly because I want to see that the kids are going to be okay. Pepik's story in the book left me forlorn. It is actually one of the most tragic things I've ever read. A young Czech boy being sent away by his parents on a train to "protect" him, never to see them again. The part about it that really got me was that Pepik had a terrible flu when they put him on the train, and the idea of sending my son off when he was in that state....wow. I know, a small thing right? But as a parent those are the things that really get you.
 
There were a lot of tears shed during this book. Mine. My poor two-year-old daughter didn't know what was wrong with her mom and I had to just keep saying, "sad book, sad book." I think she's happy to have me finished. And I think, that I will give myself a bit of a break and lighten up my next reading choice *big sigh*.