Alone in a crowd

via here
Her words are like a melody but delve much deeper than that - they resonate simultaneously as a story, song lyrics and a lesson to the soul.  'We must go on.'

In No One is Here Except All of Us, a tiny Jewish town in the Romanian forest evades the claws of World War II by shutting out the world, no one comes in and no one leaves.  The villagers are insulated and reinvent the world to their description, starting over as if the first day is the first day of creation.  That is the premise that hooks you in but you realize 50 pages in that there is so much more.

The main character, a girl-child of not-yet-eleven, is forced to grow up in an unconventional manner.  Time's foot is on the accelerator and birthdays, marriage and births whiz by but only for her.  And when the village's world is shattered, like the many plates the villagers break to create a mosaic of the sky, the individual struggles alone.

The tales of survival in this book are much more different than those in other Holocaust books that I have read.  The emphasis on the individual's will and desire to go on, to be itself and keep itself is one of the overarching themes - and shocking at that.  Initially it felt selfish to me but after awhile, I started to understand the theme of self-preservation and how deeply it runs.

Simply put, read this.  Read it if you want a story that sings.

Comments

  1. Thanks for the recommendation girl! I just finished reading my book and this sounds like a good read.

    xo erica

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  2. Definitely going to need to check this out! Always looking for a good book!
    :)
    Allison
    A's Fashion Files
    Win a $50 Giftcard from Mont Affair!

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  3. Thank you for recommending this book! I will certainly keep my eye for it the next time I'm at the book store.

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  4. Sounds like a great read. I'll keep this one in mind when I finish reading all my books at home.

    PS: I'm hosting a giveaway at my blog today for Sedwick Studios, hope you enter! http://www.underlockandkeyblog.com/2012/08/sedwick-studio-giveaway.html

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  5. Humans have an amazing capacity to whistle past the graveyard (as my grandmother called it), to block out the horrible and carry on.

    "The individual struggles alone." Great line! Sometimes a solitary struggle can be for others, but it's rare when you're scratching and clawing to survive.

    Saturday I'm having lunch with a former employee, he might be a good fit for my current office.

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  6. oh my gosh. I HAVE to read this book. Now.
    I'm a huge WWII nerd.

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  7. This sounds amazing - and I'm always super interested in people who have amazing desires and just use their own will to make it happen!

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  8. The Holocaust was a horrible time, but I'm always drawn to books about it. Sounds like an amazing read.

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  9. You are not helping with the length of my reading list. :) Actually, this one intrigues me not simply for the good reviews, but the fact that it began with her grandmother's stories . . .

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  10. i have always been interested in the holocaust. i've read just about every NF book on it. i've gotta check this one out though!

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  11. I'll have to read this book. I had family in Romania during the Holocaust, so it might hit a little close to home. It sounds moving, great review.

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  12. Wow, this sounds great. I love books set during WWII so this is right up my alley. Adding it to my ever-increasing reading list. :)

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  13. Wow, that sounds like an amazing book. I have a friend who's really into WWII, I'll have to recommend this. Also - that image is so hauntingly beautiful.

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  14. Will have to check this out! I don't usually read a lot of WWII books, but this one does sound more intriguing than other ones people have tried to get me to like. Thanks for sharing and I hope you have a lovely weekend xx

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  15. Wow, you need to write book reviews as this description has compelled me to read this book. My next book club meeting is this week. The host (not me this time) usually selects our next read. Perhaps I can gently persuade her to pick this book.

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