Where the Angels Lived: One Family's Story of Exile, Loss, and Return

by Margaret McMullan

The moment she discovers the existence of Richard, a long-lost relative, at Israel’s Holocaust Museum, Margaret McMullan begins an unexpected journey of revelation and connectivity as she tirelessly researches the history of her ancestors, the Engel de Jánosis. Propelled by a Fulbright cultural exchange that sends her to teach at a Hungarian University, Margaret, her husband and teenage son all eagerly travel to Pécs, the land of her mother’s Jewish lineage. After reaching Pécs, a Hungarian town both small and primarily Christian, Margaret realizes right then and there how difficult her mission is going to be. Heart-wrenching, passionate and insightful, Where the Angels Lived by Margaret McMullan beautifully documents the relentless determination of a woman picking up the pieces of her family’s fragmented history throughout the Hungarian Holocaust. “The destruction of the Jews in the country districts of Hungary was a simple business. The Germans made good use of their experience gained annihilating between three to four million Polish, German and Austrian Jews.” In Where the Angels Lived , Margaret quickly discovers just how distinguished and influential her relatives appear to have been before the Holocaust. However, no one seems to recall the man whose name she saw that day in Richard Engel de Jánosi. With the help of students, strangers, and long-lost relatives, Margaret slowly pieces together bits of information about Richard’s past she never would have found without venturing to her family’s homeland. While Margaret’s research starts to reap its own rewards, the road to discovery still comes at a price. Back in the United States, Margaret’s father is sick and her mother is looking frailer every time they Skype. Despite her parents’ deteriorating health, there is much more work to be done abroad. “Remembering the dead, especially family members is important. I know this.” As Margaret struggles to discover why Richard’s existence is wiped from Pécs history, her journey soon becomes her mother’s journey, a nation’s journey, and even perhaps, all of our journeys to reconnect with an inexplicable past. “Sitting there in the pew carved of Moravian oak, I start to shake. I curse every last Hungarian who deported or murdered my family. See? Look at me. My mother got out and she had me and I had a son. You didn’t end us.” Historical, authentic and family-oriented, Where the Angels Lived tells the tale of a somewhat parallel universe that exists even in the 21st century—dealings with Soviet-style bureaucracy; skepticism; anti-Semitism; and ironically the same sort of isolation and rejection Margaret’s Jewish Hungarian family experienced in 1944 before they were forced into concentration camps. Straddling memoir and reportage, past and present, this story reminds us all that we can escape a country, but we can never escape history.

Genres: Memoir, Book Club, History, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2019

About the author

Margaret McMullan was born in 1960 in Newton County, Mississippi. At the age of ten, her family moved to Chicago, Illinois.

McMullan earned a Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from Grinnell College and an M.F.A. in Fiction from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

For twenty-five years, she lived in Evansville, Indiana, where she taught and served as the Chair of the English Department at the University of Evansville. She was also the Melvin Peterson Endowed Chair in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Evansville.

Reviews

[Lauren Rhoades · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book by Margaret McMullan, a Mississippi author whom I already admired for her generosity toward the literary community in the state. I loved this book. I knew basically nothing about how Hungarian Jews were affected by the Holocaust, and McMullan’s family story provides a lens into the larger historical forces of European antisemitism. Her prose is straightforward and self-assured. The way she weaves in her research with her experience of living and teaching in Hungary is masterful. I’m excited to see her panels at the upcoming Mississippi Book Festival!

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written memoir, heartbreaking and fascinating. Very well researched, quite an achievement, her descendants will be very grateful.

[Karen Tannenbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a memoir that I could not put down. I teach FYS112 at the University of Evansville, and incorporated it in with the class. Margaret McMullan spoke to my class about the memoir and especially teaching in Hungary. But most importantly the finding of her cousin who died in Mauthausen. A brilliant read. My class loved it. For First Year Seminar instructors pick a subject and that was Genocide.

[Pam Butts · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5. PEG book club. Reading the beautiful story of how the author was able to ‘call up’ her Hungarian relative at Yad Vashem and give his story a framework was a privilege and a touching experience. I was also moved by the comparisons of being from a place like Hungary and a place like Mississippi. It’s complicated. But the rise of anti-semitism in the modern era is disturbing and frankly, something I have never understood.

[Lyndy Berryhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very moving for many reasons. In light of current political atmosphere and the rise of antisemitism, I think everyone should be aware of the multigenerational pain survivors and their descendants feel. I only can explain by asking myself, how could I miss a home so much that I have never been to?

All in all, a very wonderful read. I’m glad I have a signed copy.

[Leslie Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical, family-oriented, and yet universal, Margaret McMullan delves into a little-known piece of her family's heritage and brings it into the light.

WHERE THE ANGELS LIVED (Calypso Editions, May 2019) begins in 2008 with the author's visit to Israel's Holocaust Museum, where she learns about a long-lost relative by the name of Richard. McMullan is thrust into a mystery--just who was this man and why hasn't she learned of his existence before? She feels compelled to do some digging, tirelessly searching the history of her ancestors, the Engel de Janosis. Receiving a Fulbright cultural exchange, McMullan and her family (husband and teenage son), relocate to Pecs, Hungary to teach (and research Richard's life) at a Hungarian University. This town is now largely Christian, but it is the place of her mother's Jewish lineage. McMullan and her family now feel like outsiders--they are Catholic and American and perhaps this town does not want them?

Margaret soon learns the Engel de Janosi's were influential and even distinguished royalty before the Holocaust, yet, very little information exists on them; it's as if they have been obliterated.
McMullan starts to piece the story of Richard's life together. I felt very much 'there' with her as she went from archive to archive, taught her students writing, and connected with distant relatives and new friends.

I especially enjoyed experiencing a new place/country. Those details of cobblestone streets, chipped buildings, the antique store where McMullan was never truly invited in (though she flashed shopping bags at the window as she strolled past), it was absolutely a tale of isolation, of feeling like one didn't truly belong. The middle dragged a bit for me--I felt lost in the author's personal family history and struggled to make a universal connection, but that could have just been me. The later parts--about the Holocaust in particularly and visiting the concentration camp, Mauthausen, though I've read similar accounts before, was especially harrowing.

WHERE THE ANGELS LIVED is about remembering and honoring the dead, it's about reconstructing our own narratives in order to explore our identity, our fears, and our hopes. I applaud McMullan's tenacity to research this challenging time in history, to weave a tale of personal awakening while giving homage to a relative she had never met.

This story reminded me, in part, of Dani Shapiro's INHERITANCE meets Elizabeth Kostova's THE SHADOW LAND.

For all my reviews, including author interviews, please see: www.leslielindsay.com
Special thanks to the author and Calypso Editions for this review copy. All thoughts are my own.

[grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another book I was made to read for my first year seminar class. I was very curious to see how this book would turn out based on the words of my professor.

I enjoyed many aspects of this book, including the author's extensive research and dedication to her cause. Sometimes, the presentation left a little to be desired. The flashbacks and flashforwards messed with me sometimes. But the thing that bothered me the most was her referring to the clerk as a "Nazi porn star," and continuously calling her a porn star throughout the book. That didn't sit well with me.

Other than those issues, I liked this book very much. McMullan's distinct writing style makes her words pack a punch that hits the readers where it hurts, provoking empathy and distress. It pulled me into the story, and I felt dedicated to her cause. This story made me think about what I know about my family history and why I should explore it more.

"Richárd will forever be both real and fictional to me. At best, he is half-known. Perhaps he lived as so many of us do-half-know."

[Indiana Authors Awards]

What does it mean to find the name of a relative you never knew existed? What would it take to travel to another country to piece together a picture of that person’s life? What would compel you to upend your, your husband and son’s life to learn about a person who never even appeared in a family photo album? In Where the Angels Lived Margaret McMullan does just that, and we are the beneficiaries of the extraordinary and poignant account of her journey...

Read our full review by Rabbi Sandy Sasso here: https://www.indianaauthorsawards.org/...

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been fortunate to see Margaret present about her research and writing of the book in person, and also on a recent zoom call for an alumni book club at the University of Evansville. Knowing her personally from her time at UE, makes it all the better reading. The book easily flows from past to present as Margaret learns more and more about Richard Engel de Janosi and other relatives that she and her mother previously knew nothing about. In turns heartbreaking and heartwarming, a truly remarkable story and so well done by the author.

[honeybean · Rating 1 out of 5]

This made a lot of references to her other books that were not explained if you had not read the other books. While I am behind the premise of this book (finding long lost relatives from the Holocaust), it didn't seem well edited and I really disliked the colloquial use of "Nazi" to describe the clerk repeatedly.

[N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will review soon.

[Patricia R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Researched and written about her Hungarian Jewish family in during WWII. Recommended by friend, Kathy T.

[Hannah-rose Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was introduced to this book by a friend of mine. Originally, I was going to read it and then share the story on my blog; however, things have expanded, and I now have Margaret and her husband, Pat, coming to my house tomorrow to promote her book! My full review will be on my website, but here are some of my thoughts:

Where the Angels Lived is an inspiring story of family and the secrets that were kept for decades. Margaret McMullen went to Israel to join the Writer’s Gathering and find a story to write, but she left with so much more.

Margaret’s journey made me want to look into my family tree and see if any of my relatives have been forgotten. Each page drew me into the narrative. I read in anticipation, desiring to learn who Richárd was and how he ended up as a blank page in the Yad Vashem’s archives as if he were my own blood.

This is a touching book that will pull on your heartstrings and remind you of the importance of family. I look forward to learning more about this book tomorrow and can’t wait to take the time to write out more of my thoughts!

Positive content: 4.5⭐️
Language: 0.1⭐️
Sexual content: 0.5⭐️
Violence: 2.5⭐️
Age: 14+