THE LOST WIFE is a haunting romance set during World War
II. Lenka Maizel is an aspiring artist in Prague who
struggles to distinguish herself at the competitive art
school, Prague's Academy of Art. Lenka receives the
inspiration she needs for her work when she falls in love
with her best friend's brother, Josef Kohn. But conditions
in Prague begin to deteriorate. Vandalism against Jews
becomes a common occurrence and no Jew in Prague in
unaffected by the anti-Semitism inspired by the invasion of
Nazi Germany.
Josef surprises Lenka by asking her to marry him. His
family has arranged for a relative in The United States to
sponsor visas for the Kohn family. Lenka marries Josef
under the impression that Josef will obtain a visa for her
and her family but, after the wedding, Josef announces that
he can only take Lenka. Lenka refuses to leave her family
behind where Jews are no longer safe. She asks Josef to
travel to New York first and promises to join him once he
can sponsor her and her family. However, sixty years will
pass before Josef and Lenka will be reunited.
After Josef leaves Prague, Lenka tries to convince herself
that Josef will get visas for her and her family. But soon
the wave of anti-Semitism begins to cloud every last ray of
hope she has of seeing Josef again. The Germans begin
imposing strict rules which convert Jews from citizens to
slaves: curfews are strictly enforced, Jews can only shop
at specified stores on certain days, all radios must be
surrendered, and all Jews must wear a yellow Stars of David
on their clothing.
Finally, Lenka learns that Jews are no longer allowed in
Prague and will be move to an all Jewish community. Lenka
and her family naively believe their new home will be an
improvement from the discrimination which now dominates
life in Prague. But life at the Nazi ghetto, Terezin, will
torment Lenka even sixty years later. Alyson Richman
captures the hopeless and despair of life in a
concentration camp - cramped beds, the stench of unwashed
bodies, and the horror of watching loved ones slowly waste
away to skin and bones.
Josef will spend years looking for his lost wife. But when
Lenka's name appears on a list of people who were gassed at
Auschwitz, Josef realizes he must let go of the girl he vowed
to love forever. The novel alternates between Josef and
Lenka's narration. Both characters describe the life they
led after their forced separation. After learning that
Lenka is dead, Josef marries a Jewish girl named Amalia.
Although their marriage is loveless, the ghosts of Amalia's
past bond them together until her death.
THE LOST WIFE is a novel that should be read by everyone
regardless of genre preference. Through the eyes of a
young couple in love, Alyson Richman successfully evokes
the darkness endured by the victims and survivors of the
Holocaust. Josef and Lenka's love endures the horrors of
war, time, and distance. The alternating narration
emphasizes the unbreakable bond between Lenka and Josef.
Lenka's character is based on a real Holocaust survivor
named Dina Gottliebova who survived a stay at Terezin and
later immigrated to California. THE LOST WIFE is a highly
impressive novel that tempers the tragedy of the Holocaust
with an unforgettable love story.
In pre-war Prague, the dreams of two young lovers are
shattered when they are separated by the Nazi invasion.
Then, decades later, thousands of miles away in New York,
there's an inescapable glance of recognition between two
strangers. Providence is giving Lenka and Josef one more
chance. From the glamorous ease of life in Prague before the
Occupation, to the horrors of Nazi Europe, The Lost
Wife explores the power of first love, the resilience of
the human spirit- and the strength of memory.
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