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Synopsis
THE SECRET PURPOSES, David Baddiel's third novel, takes us into a little-known and still somewhat submerged area of British history: the internment of German Jewish refugees on the Isle of Man during the Second World War. Isaac Fabian, on the run with his young family from Nazism in East Prussia, comes to Britain assuming he has found asylum, but instead finds himself drowning in the morass of ignorance, half-truth, prejudice, and suspicion that makes up government attitudes to German Jews in 1940. One woman, June Murray, a translator from the Ministry of Information, stands out - and when she comes to the island on a personal mission to uncover solid evidence of Nazi atrocities, her meeting with Isaac will have far-reaching consequences for both of them. A haunting and beautifully written tale of love, displacement and survival, THE SECRET PURPOSES profoundly questions the way that truth - both personal and political - emerges from the tangle of history.
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About the Author
Co-creator of three of the BBC's most successful comedy programmes, David Baddiel has proved himself an accomplished novelist (and critic) too.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* British comedian and novelist Baddiel takes a turn for the dramatic in this World War II tale of Germans interned on the Isle of Man. With Europe on the verge of war, Isaac Fabian and his wife, Lulu, trade East Prussia for the peaceful confines of Cambridge. Isaac, a German Communist who betrayed his rabbi father by marrying a Gentile, feels uneasy in England, while Lulu's Aryan appearance makes it easier for her to blend in. When Isaac's outspoken behavior prompts his detainment on the Isle of Man, Lulu is left behind to care for their young daughter and gather affidavits from British citizens on her husband's behalf. Meanwhile, Ministry of Information translator June Hunter, suspicious that Nazi atrocities on the isle are far worse than reported, secretly travels to the camps to uncover the truth. There she meets Isaac, sparking an alliance that alters each in unexpected ways. Drawing on his grandfather's experiences as a refugee, Baddiel evokes the intellectual and cultural climate of the Isle of Man camps, which resembled "an English seaside holiday town behind barbed wire." Baddiel's ending may be too pat for some, but it does little to dampen this poignant examination of the impact of history upon individual lives. Allison Block
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- PublisherLittle, Brown
- Publication date2004
- ISBN 10 0316859311
- ISBN 13 9780316859318
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages416
- Rating
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The Secret Purposes
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Little, Brown 05/08/2004, 2004
ISBN 10: 0316859311
ISBN 13: 9780316859318
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Paperback. Condition: Very Good. THE SECRET PURPOSES, David Baddiel's third novel, takes us into a little-known and still somewhat submerged area of British history: the internment of German Jewish refugees on the Isle of Man during the Second World War. Isaac Fabian, on the run with his young family from Nazism in East Prussia, comes to Britain assuming he has found asylum, but instead finds himself drowning in the morass of ignorance, half-truth, prejudice, and suspicion that makes up government attitudes to German Jews in 1940. One woman, June Murray, a translator from the Ministry of Information, stands out - and when she comes to the island on a personal mission to uncover solid evidence of Nazi atrocities, her meeting with Isaac will have far-reaching consequences for both of them. A haunting and beautifully written tale of love, displacement and survival, THE SECRET PURPOSES profoundly questions the way that truth - both personal and political - emerges from the tangle of history. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR000635730
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The Secret Purposes
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