I’ve just started reading The List by Martin Fletcher. Yes, that Martin Fletcher of NBC Middle
East reporting fame. He has three books to his credit and The List is his latest issue and first novel. The story is set in England
during the period immediately following WWII and encompasses the run up to the
1948 Israeli war. The story is about a small group of refugees
who make it to England
before the war ends and their attempt to make a new life. The characters, all in their early twenties, live
in an England
still suffering from the privations of war and rife with anti-Semitic attitudes and the violent policies of the Zionist
movement. It is against this backdrop
that these survivors are left to the heartbreaking task of checking lists for
the names of family members left behind in Europe.
While I am not far into the book, it isn’t capturing me as Sarah’s Key did. I wonder if
the reason is because this is a first novel. Certainly, we know the author can
write and make sense out of historical events, but can he tell a story and
create characters you care about? I am not sure.
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