The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman

The World That We Knew: A Novel by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sept 14, 2019
Simon and Schuster
Fiction, historical
Rating: 5/5
384 pages

I received a digital ARC copy of this book from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster in exchange for unbiased review.

I found it interesting how the author had no intentions of writing this story when approached by a fan. Apparently, the woman begged her to write “her story”. Somehow, she must have been touched and intrigued as a beautiful novel was born.

In Berlin, Hanni Kohn’s husband was murdered during a riot outside a Jewish hospital in which he worked as a doctor. Hanni realizes that she must stay to protect her dying mother while finding a way to save her her 12 year old daughter, Lea. She makes a heart breaking decision to seek assistance from a respected rabbi who is known to have created mystical golems. Although she is turned away by her parents, Etti offers to perform this rare creation.

It was so interesting learning about golems and their historical presence. I was fascinated by the spiritual beliefs and fears with being a creator of such a powerful being which has potential to become a monster. It can eventually destroy that which it was built to protect if not properly managed. There was a lot of Hebrew references in the novel which added to the mystical aspect.

The story weaves together the lives of brave people who were willing to sacrifice to save and protect others from a horrible fate. I feel overwhelmed to describe a book which can only be experienced. This is unlike any other historical novel written about WWII. The characters and experiences and connections are rich and substantial. As with any story during this time period, there is pain and loss and redemption.

My synopsis would not do the story justice.


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