House on Endless Waters: A Novel - Hardcover

Elon, Emuna

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1982130229 ISBN 13: 9781982130220

Publisher: Atria Books, 2020

Synopsis

“Extraordinary—a vibrant, page-turning family.” —Jennifer Cody Epstein, bestselling author of Wunderland

“A story of love, loss, and yearning. Lyrically phrased and often powerfully visual...this deeply felt tale offers a rewarding meditation on survival.” —Kirkus Reviews, (starred review)

In the tradition of The Invisible Bridge and The History of Love, comes an exquisitely moving novel about a writer who discovers the truth about his mother’s wartime years in Amsterdam, unearthing a shocking family secret that becomes the subject of his magnum opus.

At the behest of his agent, renowned author Yoel Blum reluctantly agrees to visit his birthplace of Amsterdam to promote his books, despite promising his late mother that he would never return to that city. While touring the Jewish Historical Museum with his wife, Yoel stumbles upon footage portraying prewar Dutch Jewry and is astonished to see the youthful face of his beloved mother staring back at him, posing with his father, his older sister...and an infant he doesn’t recognize.

This unsettling discovery launches him into a fervent search for the truth, shining a light on Amsterdam’s dark wartime history—the underground networks that hid Jewish children away from danger and those who betrayed their own for the sake of survival. The deeper into the past Yoel digs to tell the story of his life, the better he understands his mother’s silence, and the more urgent the question that has unconsciously haunted him for a lifetime—Who am I?—becomes.

Part family mystery, part wartime drama, House on Endless Waters is an unforgettable meditation on identity, belonging, and the inextricable nature of past and present.

About this title

About the Author

Emuna Elon is an internationally bestselling, critically acclaimed novelist, journalist, and women’s activist. Born in Jerusalem to a family of prominent rabbis and scholars, she was raised in Jerusalem and New York. She teaches Judaism, Hasidism, and Hebrew literature. Her first novel translated into English, If You Awaken Love, was a National Jewish Book Award finalist.

Review

Praise for House on Endless Waters
 

“House on Endless Waters is extraordinary—a vibrant, page-turning family mystery that not only carries us deep into Amsterdam’s little-explored wartime history, but into the fascinating, complex and often painful process by which history is crafted into story.” —Jennifer Cody Epstein, internationally bestselling author of Wunderland and The Painter of Shanghai

“Intricately woven and lushly layered...With achingly exquisite, delicate prose, Elon explores the creative mind’s power to reimagine a life and memory’s power to recognize truth. An unforgettable read.” —Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of The Two-Family House and The Wartime Sisters

“House on Endless Waters is a haunting and lyrical meditation on who we are and where we come from, on how our past shapes our present and our art. Emuna Elon’s gorgeously intricate novel is beautifully written and moving.” —Jillian Cantor, bestselling author of The Lost Letter and In Another Time

"An elegant, eloquent novel—a story in which time and language melt to reveal truths that could be told in no other way."—Rachel Kadish, bestselling author of The Weight of Ink

"I read this book in excitement and wonder. It's not only a touching and fascinating book, but a sophisticated one as well." —Amos Oz

“A story of love, loss, and yearning. Lyrically phrased and often powerfully visual...this deeply felt tale offers a rewarding meditation on survival.” —Kirkus (starred review)

About this edition

• Publisher: Atria Books
• Publication date: 2020
• ISBN 10: 1982130229
• ISBN 13: 9781982130220
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320