Book Review: Left to You by Daniel J. Volpe
Title: Left to You
Author: Daniel J. Volpe
Release date: November 10, 2021
We live in some strange times right now, don’t we?
The rise/return of white extremist terrorism and white supremacy. People being outwardly and despicably racist. And over the last number of months, significant anti-Semitism. We of course are currently dealing with a particular rapper whom is getting way more air time than he should be allowed to have and having his hateful views spouted all over major networks and social media. I’m not sure why people still support the guy, but I digress.
The reality is, we’re only 80 years removed from World War II and Nazi’s and their beliefs are far too prominent in day-to-day life. And, as a Canadian (and we are not that much better about his, or our treatment of Indigenous people and ethnicities), it blows my mind that this is happening in America. The country that previously was ‘the greatest country in the world.’ At least that’s what was hammered into me growing up in movies, tv shows and news stories.
Normally, I would’ve passed on this novel. But, ‘Left to Me’ is recommended to me weekly in DM chats. It’s been inching up my TBR for some time and I’ve always gotten on really well with Daniel. He’s a nice guy, solid writer, supports many and I’ve been meaning to check out something of his. Seeing as this is the one I get told to read the most it made sense.
But I went in with significant trepidation. About seven years ago, I went through two traumatic incidents. This led me to seek counselling to get my PTSD in check and give me tools to not become significantly depressed. I manage well, with my anxiety and anxiety meds under control. In one of the first meetings I had with the counsellor, he discussed my interests and knowing I liked to read, he suggested I read ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ by Viktor Frankl. Released in 1946, it shares Viktor’s experience being imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp. It was profound, awful, uplifting, horribly sad and a book that helped me gain perspective. Going into ‘Left to You,’ as I do with any books that involve Nazi aspects, I wanted to see how much of the novel revolved around that, versus any characters impacted and their story arc’s.
What I liked: Told in two time lines, now, then and back to now, Volpe unravels a story of a survivor of Auschwitz whom has inadvertently been saddled with a horrific truth. A hanger on that has allowed him to live longer than most. But his end is near and, after befriending a young man at the grocery story, Robert, he wants to pass this blessing/curse onto him, in the hopes that Robert will use it to save his mother, who is dying of Cancer.
Robert is the main focus of the beginning and the end, while Josef is the main focus of the middle/then portion. It plays off really well with each other and shows that the two do have a special bond and friendship. We get to see how Robert is struggling, dealing with two jobs, a woman he wishes to date if things were different and the reality that his mother doesn’t have long to live.
Josef, meanwhile, makes for an emotional foil, in that we see him delicately manipulate Robert and his friendship enough, to get him to ultimately agree to come over and discover the horrible truth of what Josef has been carrying around for many years.
I did like the ‘reveal’ and seeing what this thing was and how it was an even bigger manipulator than Josef had led us to believe.
The ending was good, even if I wished another element hadn’t been introduced, but it really showed the true power of this being.
What I didn’t like: Personally, I didn’t find the concentration camp aspect to be of an true necessity for the overall portion of the story. It could’ve been easily done in any other context, so I would’ve loved a foreword or afterword maybe explaining the ‘why’ or even if the author had a connection with this historical moment.
I also hated the storyline of Sarah and what happens. She was a solid character and how Robert ultimately flipped was an odd choice and something that ultimately felt added in and unresolved.
Lastly, as I mentioned, the final element added at the end diluted Robert’s journey a bit. I would’ve loved to see it wrapped up with Robert, but alas it wasn’t meant to be.
Why you should buy this: If the real world issues that we’re dealing with are something you find horribly affecting to your day to day life, you may want to pass this one. If you’re looking for an escape and a survival story with some historical fiction mixed in, this may be up your alley. Personally, I really enjoyed the ‘now’ sections, which were intriguing and showed a son dealing with the finality of his mother’s life. The ‘then’ section didn’t add much overall for me. Which did dampen the emotional impact of Robert’s portion.
Overall, a solid read, if not a difficult experience based on real world events.
4/5
