I found the idea of the book compelling, but did not find the actual story compelling. I found it a little emotionally flat and not as dramatic as the book jacket summary suggests it will be.
From book jacket: Paul has spent his life running - from New York, the city of his birth; from the beautiful love of his life; from contact with his own brother & sister; but mostly from his mother, a bitter Holocaust survivor of almost inexplicable coldness. Upon her death, the children face shocking questions. What caused this apparently healthy woman to die? Why did she divide their inheritance so that Paul, the least favorite son, was singled out to receive the most, the dreaded 'German money,' a bequest of over a million dollars accrued from German reparations to survivors...a gift as cynical as it is generous?
From book jacket: Paul has spent his life running - from New York, the city of his birth; from the beautiful love of his life; from contact with his own brother & sister; but mostly from his mother, a bitter Holocaust survivor of almost inexplicable coldness. Upon her death, the children face shocking questions. What caused this apparently healthy woman to die? Why did she divide their inheritance so that Paul, the least favorite son, was singled out to receive the most, the dreaded 'German money,' a bequest of over a million dollars accrued from German reparations to survivors...a gift as cynical as it is generous?
Described as a novel, this work has an element of mystery/suspense. It is the story of a Jewish family coming to terms with years of silence.