Surviving two wars, sharing one husband, searching for answers...
A hidden compartment in a black lacquer cabinet left in an attic reveals the secrets of two incredible women: Hilda, born and raised in one of the wealthiest Jewish families in turn-of-the-century San Francisco, and Katie, whose early life in Germany is marked by tragedy and death. Their lives are forever entwined by their love of the same man, the brilliant and compassionate Dr. Josef Samson.
From the earliest, rough-and-tumble days of San Francisco, through the devastation of the Great War in Berlin and the terrors of Vichy France, and then to a new yet uncertain life in New York City, their stories span the most tumultuous events of the twentieth century. In the end, one of these women will complete the life of the other and make a startling discovery about the husband they share.
Surviving two wars, sharing one husband, searching for answers...
A hidden compartment in a black lacquer cabinet left in an attic reveals the secrets of two incredible women: Hilda, born and raised in one of the wealthiest Jewish families in turn-of-the-century San Francisco, and Katie, whose early life in Germany is marked by tragedy and death. Their lives are forever entwined by their love of the same man, the brilliant and compassionate Dr. Josef Samson.
From the earliest, rough-and-tumble days of San Francisco, through the devastation of the Great War in Berlin and the terrors of Vichy France, and then to a new yet uncertain life in New York City, their stories span the most tumultuous events of the twentieth century. In the end, one of these women will complete the life of the other and make a startling discovery about the husband they share.
Perhaps it was the pandemic, because I do have a lot of time on my hands, but my search for furnace filters more likely explains how I happened upon the long-forgotten small black lacquered cabinet. It had been carefully tucked away in the corner of the attic, along with a few other items we brought back from Katie’s New York apartment the week after she died.
The cabinet was curious, something others might consider an antique of some value or perhaps even a work of art. Age and travel had given it a few dents and bruises, but it seemed to have survived intact from a journey that must have been quite far.
It was not exceptionally large, little more than fourteen inches tall, sixteen inches wide, and twelve inches deep. The face and sides were inlaid with various symbols, intricate designs trimmed with silver and gold. Behind two beautifully decorated doors were seven small shallow drawers, three pairs of two with a larger single beneath.
As I recall, neither of us had any idea why Katie had kept it, where it came from, or what its use may have been. The drawers were empty when we retrieved it from her apartment, and we had no recollection of her ever speaking of the cabinet’s existence. At the time, our only observation was that it was out of place. Her furniture tended to be more in the art deco style, not of Oriental origin, as the cabinet appeared. And to be perfectly honest, I am unable to remember why we saved it and didn’t consider consigning it to a reputable auction house where, despite its wear, it might have fetched a good price.
When we returned from New York, it went to the attic because, like many things, there was no other place to put it and we didn’t have the heart to give it away. I imagine our attic was no different from most, out of sight, out of mind, where we stored assorted things of questionable worth, objects of little use but too sentimental to part with, saved from the past with the unfounded hope that the next generation might claim them.
That afternoon, almost absentmindedly, I decided to dust it off. I must have tugged a little too hard on the bottom drawer or done something to cause its release because, when I pulled it open, the drawer slid out of the cabinet frame. That’s when I was surprised to discover the hidden compartment located below the drawer and was even more amazed by its contents. Inside were batches of letters wrapped in ribbons, a small leather-bound notebook with gilded pages, and a sheaf of pages tied together with a piece of brown string.
Most stories start at the beginning. But as you can see, this one begins at its end. I was given no choice. The answers were found in that order.
One of the things I enjoyed the most about this book was the personal factor in knowing this was the story of someone known by the author, told through their written records, which were discovered after their death. Katie lived a fascinating life and I thoroughly enjoyed following her relationship with Josef and experiences of life during the war.
The writing reads like you are being told the story first hand by the characters who narrate each section of the book. It made me think it would work very well as an audiobook in this sense. Personally, I did miss having more dialogue in the book though. I understand why the author chose not to imagine conversations while trying to be truthful to their friend's records, however as a reading experience, I like dialogue to help me get to know the characters and their connections with each other.
I enjoyed both Katie and Hilda's sections and felt invested in their journeys. It would have been lovely to have more from Josef's perspective as the short section narrated by him was one of my favourite parts of the book, but again I understand the decision not to, as this is Katie and Hilda's story. Josef was the link between the two women and there were so many interesting parallels and comparisons to be drawn between each of their experiences that I understand not wanting to detract from that.
The book does a good job of establishing the political context during each stage of the character's lives. Some of these sections could be a bit dry to read, but they were vital for understanding the pressures, anxieties and motivations of the characters and the decisions they made as a result.
I love historical fiction and certainly believe there is something special about books in this genre that are inspired by real people and their lives. It was a privilege to hear these people's stories and I am very happy to have discovered and read this book.
Thank you to Ralph Webster and Reedsy Discovery for the ARC.