Shocks from the past!

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House on Endless Waters by Emuna Elon  

I must admit that I was not as hooked on this book as I thought I would be from the publishers blurb. Whether it was the pace of the story or just Yoel Blum himself I am unsure.
A successful Israeli author, Yoel's publisher wants him to go to Amsterdam for the launch of his latest book which has been translated into Dutch. Conflicted, Yoel does, despite having promised his mother to never return to the place of his birth, Amsterdam.
Of course the first question is why did Yoel's mother demand such a commitment.
An unplanned visit to Jewish Historical Museum has Yoel and his wife chancing upon a grainy movie of a wedding. To Yoel's amazment and concern in the frames he sees his mother as part of a family, holding an unknown baby boy.
Such a discovery haunts Yoel. Some few days after, he returns once again from Israel to Amsterdan determined to find answers.
Make no mistake this is complex novel on various levels.
Elon's use of language, the images she creates are marvelous.
Despite all this I was not as committed to Yoel's story as I'd hoped.

 An Atria Books ARC via NetGalley

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