House on Endless Waters by Emuna Elon

 

Never go back to Amsterdam were words Yoel’s mother drilled into him, but she would never tell why.

When one of Yoel's books was translated into Dutch, he and his wife needed to go to Amsterdam even though he felt guilty about defying his mother’s wishes.

While they were in Amsterdam, Yoel and Bat-Ami visited a Jewish museum, looked at some still films, and saw his mother, his father, his sister, and himself in the films.  

Yoel wondered why no one ever told him about this part of his life.  He had to ask his sister, and he HAD to find out.

We follow Yoel as he moves around Amsterdam in hopes of finding anything that will help him discover who he is.  His sister did help him with information, but he had to be there and see for himself as he unraveled the mystery of his life and his mother’s life.

The writing and story line are absolutely mesmerizing and beautiful as well as heartbreaking. 

HOUSE ON ENDLESS WATERS is a book that will stay with me because of its haunting beauty and its profound, thought-provoking story line. 

Historical fiction fans will devour this book and the marvelous research Ms. Elon did with Amsterdam's history and its part in WWII. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.