As I have discovered, which is typical of Wiesel's works, this narrative is indeed depressing and commences in such a manner.

This elicits a profound sense of sadness within me for Wiesel as an individual. His perspective on the world is vividly manifested through his books, and I find it inconceivable to envision a life devoid of hope.

Regarding the book itself, it poses a significant challenge to maintain a clear understanding of the timeline. The narrative capriciously alternates between the memories and present events endured by the son and the memories of his father.

Notwithstanding the immensely powerful potential of the subject matter, Wiesel merely scratches the surface, thereby rendering it nearly impossible to establish a connection with the protagonists.

The essence of the narrative becomes lost amidst the jumble of text. In conclusion, I derived no pleasure whatsoever from reading this book.

I long to be like Malkiel, a man who is capable of loving his own people without hating any others. His heart is filled with compassion and understanding, and he shows kindness and respect to everyone he meets. He is a shining example of what it means to be a true human being.

''God cannot be so cruel as to erase everything forever. If He were, He would not be our Father, and nothing would have meaning anymore. And I, who am speaking to you, could no longer speak, because...'' This profound statement makes us think deeply about the nature of God and the meaning of life. It reminds us that we should always strive to see the good in others and to show love and kindness, even in the face of difficulties and challenges.

Malkiel's attitude towards life and his fellow human beings is truly inspiring. He teaches us that we can choose to love and forgive, rather than hate and hold grudges. By following his example, we can make the world a better place, one act of kindness at a time.

This book is truly remarkable, yet it presents a challenge to get into.

He opened his mouth, looked for the right words, found them. “Rabbi,” he said, “I’m going under.”

The story is about a father who is losing his memories due to dementia and unloads his messy and traumatic past as a Holocaust survivor to his son, resulting in messy and traumatic consequences. When the book delves into philosophical and religious aspects, it can feel a bit dragging. However, it truly shines when it is firmly rooted in reality.

”How should I go about it? The student can teach; the apprentice can become independent. But what can a son do for his sick father?”

“Speak in his place; pray in his name. Do what he is incapable of doing; let your life be an extension of his. Learn, since he no longer learns. Be happy, since he no longer laughs.”

Moreover, considering when it was written, it offers an incredibly nuanced perspective on some really difficult topics. It highlights the danger and immorality of vengeance and the potential hypocrisy of patriotism.

A man like you, Malkiel, can love his people without hating others.

Overall, this book is a powerful and thought-provoking read that demands our attention.

Ivy's review truly struck a chord with me.

I too have a penchant for books about the Holocaust, and as she pointed out, this one stands out.

The novel follows a man, Elhanan, who is succumbing to Alzheimer's and losing his memory.

Desperate to preserve his haunted past and honor the victims of history's darkest period, he sends his journalist son, Malkiel, back to Eastern Europe.

As Elhanan's mind deteriorates, he sinks deeper into depression, believing he is nothing without his memories.

To pass on his legacy to Malkiel, he dispatches him to Romania to locate his grandfather's grave.

There, Malkiel meets the gravedigger, who has his own tales to share about the man buried there.

This book cast a powerful spell on me, just as Ivy described.

The narrative is so skillfully crafted that the transitions between past and present are often imperceptible.

I frequently found myself rereading those sections to fully grasp the story's thread.

"The Forgotten" is not just about a father's love for his son but also a profound love for his people.

It emphasizes the importance of never forgetting the suffering of those who lost their lives and passing on that legacy from one generation to the next.

Overall, it is a poignant and unforgettable read.

Hauntingly beautiful and terrifying, this book is truly a masterpiece. It has the power to draw you in from the very first page and keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. The story is filled with vivid descriptions and characters that come to life right before your eyes. It's a must-read for anyone who loves a good thriller or mystery. The author's writing style is engaging and captivating, making it impossible to put the book down. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read that will leave them haunted long after they've finished the last page.

The best book ever is a subjective concept as different people have diverse tastes and preferences when it comes to literature. However, there are certain books that have had a profound impact on countless readers and have stood the test of time.

One such book could be "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. This novel explores themes of racial injustice, morality, and the loss of innocence in a small Southern town. The characters are vividly drawn, and the story is told with such authenticity and compassion that it leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Another contender for the title of the best book ever might be "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. This classic romance novel not only entertains but also offers insights into the social and cultural norms of the time. The witty dialogue, complex characters, and engaging plot make it a timeless favorite.

In conclusion, while the definition of the best book ever may vary from person to person, these are just a few examples of books that have had a significant impact on the literary world and continue to be beloved by readers today.

Mostly OK, a bit dreary & dreamy at times.

Elhanan Rosenbaum, a Holocaust survivor, has remained silent about the war years for all these decades. Now diagnosed with an incurable memory disease, he is resolute in sharing his past with his son, Malkiel, before it's too late. His tales encompass both heroic feats and those that fill him with shame.

Elhanan's story compels Malkiel to journey to the Romanian village where the crime that haunts his father was committed. There, he encounters the improbable wisdom of a gravedigger who leads him to his grandfather's grave and uncovers the truths that bind generations.

Elhanan is one of the few Romanian Jews to have survived the Nazis. At 15, he was sent to his grandpa's town to inquire about rumors of Nazi terror. He found all the Jews crammed into a ghetto and his grandpa dead. With the help of a partisan friend, he managed to escape. They fought Nazis all the way back to his hometown, only to discover a horror – all the Jews, including his parents, were gone. The Romanian townfolk had looted the Jews' houses, and many were hiding in the now-abandoned Jewish homes.

Liberation finally arrived with the Russians from the Soviet Union, and there were many Jews in their ranks. The Russian army showed no mercy, raping both people and the land. However, Jews and those who had hidden them were safe.

Elhanan's partisan friend raped a Romanian widow because her husband had tortured and killed Jews. Elhanan, only 15 at the time, was powerless to stop his brutish, now ex-friend. Malkiel tracks down this woman, now very old. He explains how his father tried but failed to stop the rape and has endured great pain over it for all these years.

The story is told in flashbacks and is not always chronological. While there are fascinating aspects, there is also a great deal of dreary introspection that lulls the reader into apathy.

La memoria per un ebreo è tutto, specie se ha vissuto sulla sua pelle pogrom, shoah, persecuzioni…

Ricordare è un imperativo per sé e per gli altri, quelli che non ce l’hanno fatta. L’oblio, il dimenticare “il male assoluto”, ucciderebbe due volte le vittime. Ad Elhanan, sopravvissuto alle persecuzioni naziste, ora affermato psicologo e docente universitario a New York, quando inizia a perdere la memoria a causa di una malattia degenerativa, non resta che affidarsi al figlio Malkiel, redattore presso il New York Times, per una “trasfusione di ricordi”.

Malkiel deve allora partire per la cittadina natale del padre, ai confini tra Romania e Ungheria. È un viaggio surreale alla ricerca dei fantasmi del passato. Egli si trova tra le tombe di un cimitero ebraico, i racconti di un becchino sopravvissuto e i cavilli burocratici della polizia di Ceausescu che lo sorveglia. Tra i racconti di un Elhanan sempre più evanescente nei momenti di lucidità e le testimonianze raccolte in Romania, il romanzo ripercorre la vita del padre. Quando era giovane, era stato costretto al seguito dell’esercito ungherese in Russia e poi era diventato partigiano con altri ebrei. Alla fine della guerra, ha fatto un viaggio semi clandestino verso Israele per partecipare a un altro conflitto per l’indipendenza del nuovo stato.

Difficile dare un giudizio o cercare di catalogare questo romanzo. A tratti è frammentario, ma anche il continuo alternarsi di presente e passato trova una sua unità. È una narrazione storica delle sofferenze del popolo ebraico, ma anche un racconto di uno specialissimo rapporto tra padre e figlio (e del loro relazionarsi con le donne). Ironico e tenero, surreale e tragico, mi ha catturato pagina dopo pagina fino a farsi divorare nelle ultime parti. Quattro stelle.

Elie Wiesel's "The Forgotten" presents a title with a profound double meaning.

On the surface, it refers to the memories of Holocaust survivor Elhanan Rosenbaum, the elderly father of the protagonist Malkiel. However, Wiesel's deeper concern lies in the memories of the people and culture of the Eastern European shtetls that were wiped out by the Holocaust. In today's assimilative world, Wiesel emphasizes the importance of remembering what it means to be a Jew.

The story follows Malkiel's compelling quest to document and retrieve his father's fading memories. Simultaneously, Wiesel takes the readers on a journey to the nearly forgotten world of his own youth.

"The Forgotten" showcases Wiesel at his finest. It is a powerful work that confronts the reader with major issues, seamlessly combines spirituality with gritty reality, and establishes a crucial connection between the generation that endured the Holocaust and all future generations.

The narrative centers around Elhanan and Malkiel Rosenbaum, who grapple with Elhanan's worsening "amnesia" (apparently, the term "Alzheimer's Disease" was not yet commonly used when Wiesel wrote this). From this simple premise, unforgettable characters and subplots emerge. The unifying theme is memory: Elhanan realizes that without his memory, he ceases to exist.

This leads to his desperate attempt to bequeath all his memories to his son - his experiences, thoughts, and beliefs. Through this, we relive life in a prewar Jewish village, the tragic upheaval caused by the Nazis, the world of partisan resistance, the founding of Israel, and the immigrant experience in America. Wiesel skillfully moves us forward and backward in time as we visit Feherfalu, the Romanian village of Elhanan's youth (presumably patterned after Sighet, Wiesel's own village).

Elhanan, a devoutly Jewish youth from a prewar East European village, experiences dramatic and often heartbreaking events. First, as a partisan harassing the Nazis towards the end of the war, and later, in the life-or-death struggle for Israel's survival after its independence in 1948. Two pivotal events shape his life: one on the day of Feherfalu's liberation (which I won't disclose here) that haunts him until his memory fades, and the other when he meets the love of his life in a displaced persons camp.

However, "The Forgotten" is not just about Elhanan Rosenbaum's memories. It is about Wiesel's urgent call to remember the Holocaust, Jewish traditions and teachings, and what it means to be a Jew. Elhanan imagines asking his son if he will tell his own son that he did his best to reach him, to remain a Jew, and never to abandon the memory of his forefathers.

As we expect and value in Wiesel's writings, we encounter the stories of the rabbis, the lessons from the Torah, and the teachings of the Talmud. But these are not mere biblical abstractions; they are the wrenching dilemmas of human existence. The partisans, for example, must grapple with their understandable urge for revenge while adhering to Jewish morality.

Although "The Forgotten" will resonate with readers of all ages, faiths, and cultures, its main beneficiaries are the descendants of those who survived or perished in the Holocaust. They will find it an essential resource for understanding the Jewish way of life in Eastern Europe before it was brutally erased.

The one thing that you would intuitively think a holocaust survivor would cherish and hold onto tightly is memory. After all, those memories are a testament to their survival and the experiences that have shaped their lives.

However, in this book, the central character, a holocaust survivor, is unfortunately losing his precious memories. It is a heart-wrenching situation that tugs at the reader's emotions. His son, on the other hand, is deeply determined to do everything in his power to preserve his father's memories, his unique legacy, and ensure his posterity lives on.

One of the most unforgettable and haunting images in the book is that of the holocaust survivor dying all alone, with no family by his side, no descendants to carry on his name, and ultimately forgotten by the world. It is a poignant reminder of the importance of memory and the tragic consequences of its loss.

This is truly a very moving tale that is beautifully written and compels the reader with its raw sincerity. It makes us reflect on the significance of memory and the lengths we should go to preserve it for future generations.

There is truly nothing new that I could ever discover to say about any of Wiesel's works. His literary creations are not just ordinary pieces of writing; they are, in fact, epic masterpieces. Each work is a profound exploration of the human condition, a testament to the power of the written word to convey the most complex and harrowing emotions. Wiesel's ability to bring to life the experiences of those who have suffered through his vivid descriptions and poignant narratives is truly remarkable. His works serve as a reminder of the importance of never forgetting the past and of the need to strive for a more just and peaceful world. Whether it is his memoirs, novels, or essays, Wiesel's words continue to resonate with readers around the world, inspiring them to think deeply about the meaning of life and the value of human dignity.

I got lost in many places while reading because I couldn't catch the flow of writing. As a result, I had a problem following the story. And I blame it on myself. I blame it because after I finished reading, I listened to this review, and everything became clear: https://youtu.be/eSeaUSzqcvo

I would say it's a perfect review. Sometimes, to honor a work of art and realize its importance, it is necessary for us to hear from a person in that field. Our eyes might not be capable of seeing the beauty at first sight, but when the one who has seen or knows shows the beauty to us, we can no longer act blind. The review by Robert Adams, with the link provided above, revealed the true beauty of this novel, which is hard to comprehend with my own weak words.

It's a beautiful book.

At the end of his review, Robert Adams quotes Elie Wiesel, "Elie Wiesel has taught us that in the face of apparently meaningless horror, we must go on, we must continue to celebrate life, to search for meaning, to find love and even to laugh, because to do anything else, to give way to indifference and despair, would be to give victory to the beast."