The Stars Can Wait: A Novel - Hardcover

Basu, Jay

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805068872 ISBN 13: 9780805068870

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co., 2002

Synopsis

In this powerful debut set in 1940s German-occupied Poland, a young Catholic boy unearths the secrets of his brother's mysterious life.

Fifteen-year-old Gracian Sofka is a stargazer. Every night for the past year he has broken curfew to view the constellations from a clearing in the forest-that is, until his older brother, Pawel, discovers his secret pastime. And now that the German troops have stepped up patrols of the area, the gruff, mysterious Pawel forbids his brother to continue his risky activity.

Life in the previously quiet village of Malenkowice grows increasingly precarious. Men are accosted on the street by German soldiers, Gracian's widowed mother risks imprisonment to smuggle food, and Gracian's co-workers at the coal mines grow restless. As tension builds in the town, it also grows within Gracian's own household. After a run-in with his sister's husband, Pawel is forced to leave the house, becoming even more distant and elusive in Gracian's eyes.

Then one day Pawel presents Gracian with a telescope, allowing the boy to slowly discover the truth about his brother's shadowy past. But while he succeeds in unlocking Pawel's secrets, Gracian is blind to the inevitable tragedy hurtling toward them all-and to his unwitting role as its catalyst.

Haunting and lyrical, The Stars Can Wait possesses the intense, concentrated power of a fable and introduces a stunning new voice to American readers.

About this title

About the Author

Jay Basu was born to an Indian father and a half-Polish, half-Russian mother. He graduated from Cambridge University in 1999. The Stars Can Wait is his first novel. He lives in London.

Reviews

A young Polish boy with a passion for stargazing and astronomy tries to cope with the ramifications of his older brother's erratic behavior in Basu's poignant debut novel, which takes place during WWII in a small village in historically riven Silesia, at the beginning of the Nazi occupation of Poland. Gracian S¢fka is the 15-year-old protagonist, a dreamer who manages to endure his days laboring in a coal mine by wandering out into the woods at night to watch the stars, despite the constant presence of Nazi guards who could kill him. His older brother, Pawel, finds more direct ways to deal with the enemy, starting with his stint in the Polish army, during which he loses a couple of fingers fighting against the Germans. Pawel is equally belligerent with his own family, beating up his brother-in-law after eluding a prison sentence for smuggling. The turning point in the relationship between the brothers comes when Pawel gives Gracian a telescope to pursue his hobby. The boy also uses the instrument to spy on Pawel's courtship with the most beautiful girl in the village as well as his brother's maneuverings with the local underground. Basu is a lyrical writer, painting an eloquent picture of two brothers who are polar opposites as he traces Pawel's inevitable descent against the inexorable rise of the Nazis. There are many familiar elements to this WWII parable, but what is relatively rare is the power and craft of Basu's portrayal as he examines the impact of war on a family as seen through the eyes of a sensitive and precocious adolescent. Author tour.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

For 15-year-old Gracian, the rewards of stargazing outweigh the considerable risk he takes by breaking curfew in 1940s, German-occupied Poland. The stars provide Gracian with respite from his dreary days at the coal mine and the constant clashes between his mother and his volatile older brother, Pawel, whose secret life is a constant source of worry for the teenager. What does his brother do when he disappears for days on end? How did he really lose several fingers on his one hand? In seeking answers to these questions, Gracian unknowingly helps set in motion a chain of events that will result in tragedy. Basu, a recent Cambridge grad and first-time novelist, offers a sad but beautiful coming-of-age tale set against the devastating effect of war on families strained almost to the breaking point. The understated, lyrical prose mirrors the constant, low-grade anxiety characteristic of a wartime existence away from the front lines. Beth Warrell
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Tensions are building within and without the Sofka home in 1940 Poland. The German threat is everywhere, and renegade son Pawel is restless, angry, and involved in dangerous undercover work. His 15-year-old brother, Gracian, who dutifully works in the coal mines to help support their widowed mother, their sister, and her family, seeks solace by feeding his passion for astronomy, stargazing late at night in the nearby forest. Pawel furiously puts a stop to these forays, afraid for his young brother's safety, and attempts to soothe the boy's despair with the gift of a telescope. It is not long before the Sofkas implode and Pawel is banished from the home. He joins his beloved fiance, Anna, leaving behind a bereft Gracian, whose longing for his brother's company gives way to curiosity, triggering a heartbreak that races toward tragedy. First-time novelist Basu offers up a rare honesty in storytelling that cuts to the soul. Highly recommended.
- Beth E. Andersen, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., MI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

His mother would be frozen then, her face red and her wooden cooking spoon drawn up into the air between them. She would not let them talk of the Germans. She was as afraid as the rest of the village.

"Don't start, Pawel," she would say in an urgent voice, her eyes wide and alarmed. "Your talk could kill us all."

He would leave. And then the silence of the house and of his mother would silt down upon Gracian, weighting his shoulders. Later, Pawel would return and apologize and embrace his mother and promise to visit the mines tomorrow, but no one believed he would.

Such was the way of Pawel Sofka. Always leaving. Never staying. There were times when Gracian was so tired from work that he would sit with his brother unspeaking, feeling a great swell of desire to question him about the way in which he led his life; but something about his brother's quiet face made the words falter and drown before they left his mouth and he would be unable to say
a word and then it was too late and Pawel was up and dusting his trouser fronts with his palms and vanishing once again outside-back out into the close-guarded mystery of himself.

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805068872
• ISBN 13: 9780805068870
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192