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The Third Day by Chochana Boukhobza (view source)
Revision as of 08:59, 29 February 2012
, 08:59, 29 February 2012no edit summary
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Set in Jerusalem in the late 1980s, an elderly, Jewish , celebrated cellist Elisheva is visiting Israel with her protégé, Rachel, ostensibly to give a concert performance. It quickly becomes apparent that Elisheva survived the Nazi camps by playing her music for the feared camp commander, known as the Butcher of Majdanek, and while on the surface she survived this ordeal well, it is clear that she has a darker intent with her three day visit. Through an underground network of Nazi hunters, she has managed to lure the Butcher from his home in Venezuela to visit Israel. Will they meet and what will happen when they do?
''The Third Day'', translated from French by Alison Anderson, is fast paced and gripping. Given the subject matter, you might be forgiven for expecting either a traumatic read about events in the concentration camps (which is kind of the impression you might get from reading the cover of the book) or an introspective, self-analyzing read about being Jewish. Nothing could be further from the truth here though. Quite literally, I didn't know how it was going to end until the very last page.