4 out of 4 stars
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Hidden: Nistar by Batya Casper is a compilation of two historical fiction stories set in the 1930s and 1940s of Israel and England.
In the first story, deceased Mrs. L has a story to tell. It involves a young girl, a mysterious woman, a locked storage closet, and death. Tikvah can not understand why no one will explain to her where she comes from or who her parents are. Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. L struggle to keep their secrets safe from her inquiries.
The second story is set in England during WWII. It depicts the life of a group of refugees living with an English family. Told in multiple perspectives, the story unfolds and captures the effects that the war had on Jews who relocated to safer countries, women who struggled to raise a family as well as care for refugees on their own, and children who had to grow up much too quickly.
At first, I was confused by there being two stories because the blurb does not mention the second story at all. Also, they are not separated in any way. You simply start a new chapter with a completely different set of characters. I kept thinking the stories would connect to each other in some way, but they didn’t. This annoyed me because I was immensely interested in the first story and felt like it did not have sufficient closure. I think that feeling could have been resolved by some simple formatting changes.
Aside from the lack of closure in the first story, I absolutely loved it. I was immediately drawn into this family’s story. It is narrated by Mrs. L who is actually dead. That alone immediately added to my curiosity. The mysterious past also kept me intrigued and longing to find out more. I enjoyed the characters. Several of them surprised me with their complexity by the end of the story.
The second story was not as mysterious as the first, but it hooked me nonetheless. The way the author captures the raw emotions of the different characters is gripping. I have never read a story about people who took in refugees during WWII and think it is an interesting and unique angle on a very popular time period.
What I love most about these stories is the author’s writing style. She comes up with such interesting ways to describe things which adds a richness to the time period and culture. I don’t think I will ever forget the way Mrs. L’s yearly “rising” takes place. Here is an example so you can get a feel for the author’s voice.
The book is well edited. I only came across one typo where a space is missing between the words “a table”. If the stories had been more clearly separated, I would have absolutely nothing negative to mention. The stories are delightful, intriguing, refreshing, and simply beautiful. Hidden: Nistar has definitely earned 4 out of 4 stars from me. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a well-crafted historical fiction. The author is a gifted storyteller and I know I will be keeping my eyes out for more books by her.“Nineteen sixty-five was the year Mrs. L resigned from normal living, the year Tikvah turned nine. That was a year of uncertainty, for sure. Neither Mr. L nor Tikvah knew what to expect as the holiday season came around. Yet, lo and behold, ten days before the holidays, Tikvah’s grandmother stood up. Mr. L called it “Mrs. Lazamof’s rising.”
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Hidden: Nistar
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