House on Endless Waters

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'It is sensitive and beautifully written, its reality utterly convincing. I loved it.' - Alex Miller, winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award

'Elon powerfully evokes the obscurity of the past and its hold on the present, as we stumble through revelation after revelation with Yoel. As we accompany Yoel on his journey to recreate his history, we share in his loss, surprise and grief, right up to the novel's shocking conclusion.' The New York Times

'Readers will find Elon's lyrical prose haunting as she moves between past and present, constructing a heartbreaking, moving tale that brings understanding and acceptance.' - Booklist

'I read this book in excitement and wonder...touching and fascinating' - Amos Oz

'Elon's great power in The House on Endless Waters is to richly evoke both sides of the tragedy - Sonia's lived experience of persecution as well as Blum's later attempts to absorb horrors he can barely comprehend... a deeply immersive achievement that brings to life stories that must never be forgotten.' - USA Today

At the behest of his agent, renowned author Yoel Blum reluctantly agrees to visit his birthplace of Amsterdam to meet with his Dutch publisher, despite promising his late mother that he would never return to that city. While touring the Jewish Museum with his wife, Yoel stumbles upon a looping reel of photos offering a glimpse of pre-war Dutch Jewish life, and is astonished to see the youthful face of his beloved mother staring back at him, posing with her husband, Yoel's older sister Nettie...and an infant he doesn't recognise.

This unsettling discovery launches him into a fervent search for the truth, revealing Amsterdam's dark wartime history and the underground networks which hid Jewish children away from danger-but at a cost. The deeper into the past Yoel digs, the better he understands his mother's silence, and the more urgent the question that has unconsciously haunted him for a lifetime-Who am I-becomes.

Part family mystery, part wartime drama, House on Endless Waters is an unforgettable meditation on identity, belonging, and the inextricable nature of past and present.

'A story of love, loss, and yearning. Lyrically phrased and often powerfully visual...this deeply felt tale offers a rewarding meditation on survival.' - Kirkus (starred review)

Author Bio

Emuna Elon is an internationally bestselling, critically acclaimed novelist, journalist, and women's activist. Born in Jerusalem to a family of prominent rabbis and scholars, she was raised in Jerusalem and New York. She teaches Judaism, Hasidism, and Hebrew literature. Her first novel translated into English, If You Awaken Love, was a National Jewish Book Award finalist.