Shadows We Carry
Readers pick up the story of the Lubinski twins, Bronka and Johanna, in this sequel to The Takeaway Men. Now with the Second World War over and America struggling in the aftermath, the twins imagine what their own personal destinies might be. Almost immediately, reality intercedes, with one twin finding herself dealing with an unexpected pregnancy leading into a somewhat hasty marriage, while the other ponders a murky future.
In this novel of discovery, with a society coming to grips with its checkered past as well as new, evolving stresses, the twins find that they cannot shake their own heritage, especially after the Holocaust. Each in her own way, the sisters define their culture and Jewishness against a multicultural backdrop that includes America’s own flirtation with anti-Semitism, such as in the hamlet of Yaphank, New York. How might past Nazi sympathizers impact their current realities as the United States and the world enter new social eras of reflection and accountability?
Broken into a few chronological sections, the narrative takes readers on a deeply personal ride spanning the late 1960s into the mid-1980s. Compounding the life choices for the twins and their circle of friends and acquaintances are the constant reminders of the Holocaust. For example, how should perpetrators be penalized, and how does one identify who might or might not still hold these beliefs?
