I typically only write reviews on this site for ARCs or titles that publishers have requested reviews of. But the book I just finished might be one of the best I’ve ever read (not to be hyperbolic), and I felt called to share my thoughts about it. I can see that The Postcard by Anne Berest (translated by Tina Kover) doesn’t have strictly 5-star reviews on Goodreads, so perhaps this is just one of those books that just struck my own heart in a meaningful way.

The Postcard, originally published in French, is a fascinating blend of nonfiction and fiction. In the early 2000s, Berest’s mother received a postcard in the mail, with simply the names of her grandparents, aunt, and uncle. These Jewish family members had been killed at Auschwitz concentration camp. The postcard is anonymous, which sets off a completely captivating investigation into who might have sent the postcard and why. Is it meant to be some kind of antisemitic threat? Or simply a reminder of the family that was nearly wiped out during the Holocaust?

The Postcard is written in an incredibly unique way, so that interwoven in Berest’s research there is a somewhat fictionalized account of what happened to her family. This enables Berest to include dialogues and scenes that are slightly invented, but that still stick closely to what occurred. The poignant dive into what one family experienced during this harrowing time is both compelling and heartwrenching. The book also comes alive because it often reads like a fast-paced mystery, with clues that build upon one another until you reach the very last page. The ending is also one of the most well-written conclusions I’ve ever come across, and is one that gave me chills.

I cried several times during the reading of this book. I don’t know how much to attribute the tearfulness to my own Jewish background, but I found myself in awe of how many times throughout the book mere luck had to do with someone’s survival (and the converse, how misfortune led to someone’s tragic death). It’s not easy to avoid pondering how much of my family would be gone today if my great-grandparents hadn’t immigrated to America. This lends a special kinship to the victims of the Holocaust, although it’s so difficult to imagine the kinds of degradation and torture they experienced. There were aspects of these events that I had never heard of, despite reading many books about WWII. This all built to create an even more comprehensive and powerful tribute to the real people who experienced these horrors.

The Postcard is one of those books that I know will stick with me forever, and I can’t speak highly enough of its brilliance.

*5 stars (but really a million stars)