Postscripts

This is the third title by Britain's prolific Claire Rayner that I've read. It's another quality reading experience. Abner Wiseman is a filmmaker with several noted documentaries under his belt. He decides to focus his next film on the children of Jews as a postscript to the Holocaust that will examine how the guilt and pain of the war experience has affected the next generation's lives. An American, he finds himself in London doing research and seeking financing for his film. By interviewing survivors, he uncovers a trail of intrigue that leads to several subplots. The most interesting is a group of women, babies and teens known as the "Rats" who lived in the sewers of Crackow rather than be captured by the Nazis. When they are betrayed by one of their own for a sack of apples, they are sent off to their fate in the concentration camps. This story leads to intrigue in the diamond trade where fleeing Jews tried to convert their cash to a durable wealth that would survive the war and a group of present-day fiscal vultures trying to rake millions of pounds in property that was unclaimed by those who did not survive. The love interest has a long fuse in this book as Abner meets Miriam, the daughter of a recently deceased historian on the Holocaust. Rayner fans the flames of this on-again, off-again attraction until it finally ignites. The pacing of the book sputters a bit, but it's ultimately well worth the time to read it. The minor characters are well drawn and give voice to a swirl of overpowering emotions. The unanswered question of course is to whom the Oscar goes! Enjoy!