Book Review: "Send for Me" by Lauren Fox
“Send for Me” by Lauren Fox
Synopsis: Annelise is a dreamer: imagining her future while working at her parents' popular bakery in Feldenheim, Germany, anticipating all the delicious possibilities yet to come. There are rumors that anti-Jewish sentiment is on the rise, but Annelise and her parents can't quite believe that it will affect them; they're hardly religious at all. But as Annelise falls in love, marries, and gives birth to her daughter, the dangers grow closer: a brick thrown through her window; a childhood friend who cuts ties with her; customers refusing to patronize the bakery. Luckily Annelise and her husband are given the chance to leave for America, but they must go without her parents, whose future and safety are uncertain.
Two generations later, in a small Midwestern city, Annelise's granddaughter, Clare, is a young woman newly in love. But when she stumbles upon a trove of her grandmother's letters from Germany, she sees the history of her family's sacrifices in a new light, and suddenly she's faced with an impossible choice: the past, or her future.
Rating (out of 5): 4.5
Review: Lauren Fox’s first three novels were memorable reads for me: tales of young women coming to crossroads in their lives and dealing with quotidian tragedies earnestly and with humor. I had Googled her at least a few times a year, hoping for a new book on the horizon as her last was published in 2015. Much to my delight, I saw that “Send For Me” was being published and immediately got on the library waitlist.
This book is a large departure from her first two, but contains all the heartwarming and heartbreaking features of her prior works. Holocaust novels are a difficult read for many reasons: their accuracy varies wildly (there’s even some crazy fundamentalist Christian Holocaust writing, which…no), and can often tend toward the maudlin. It’s a hard trap to avoid. The rise of the Third Reich and the Holocaust are tragedies so significant we can barely comprehend them. However, Fox manages to convey the idea that day-to-day life continued during this time—with all of its joy and despair.
Our protagonist, Annelise, is delightful: bright, charming, a bit indulgent. As she marries and has a child, she notices her world shifting ever more quickly, and she and her young family are able to immigrate to the States. She tries desperately to bring her parents over, which becomes both a more dire need and an increasingly difficult feat.
The novel is brief, and formatted as brief vignettes interspersed with letters from Annelise’s mother to her after she arrives in America. Generations later, Annelise’s granddaughter is on the verge of beginning a new life with her partner, and reads the correspondence, which informs her decisions. I was fascinated to find out that the letters are based on those of the author’s great-grandmother.
This is a quick read that doesn’t shy away from tragedy, but it also beautifully demonstrates the transformative power of love and joy, and the inevitability that life continues even after the most unfathomable devastations.
TL;DR: A beautiful historical novel about the power of love and family, even in unspeakable circumstances.
If you liked this; try:
“Days of Awe” by Lauren Fox (Bookshop | Kindle)
“Sophie’s Choice” by William Styron (Bookshop | Kindle)
“The Reader” by Bernard Schlink (Bookshop | Kindle)
“The Night Watch” by Sarah Waters (Bookshop | Kindle)
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