Hell on earth that was Auschwitz. Dr. Mengel's monstrous experiments and two little twin sisters. Perła cares about sadness, the past and good, and Stusia, who cares about joy, the future and evil. That's all in Affinity Konar's book, "Mischling, or the mongrel."
It is 1944, the twins Perła and Stusia Zamorskie, together with their mother and grandfather, are sent to Auschwitz. The sisters seek strength and escape from the gloomy camp world in their closeness, in a language they only know, in games learned in early childhood.
As part of a population experiment to study children born of multiple pregnancies known as Mengele's Zoo, girls experience suffering and privileges unknown to other prisoners, being mentally and physically mutilated, stripped of their shared personality. Their identity changes under the weight of pain and guilt.
In winter, during a concert organized by Mengele, Pearl disappears and Stusia mourns, but still does not lose hope that her twin is alive. After the camp is liberated by the Red Army, he goes in search of his sister with his friend Felix - a boy who, having lost his brother, wants revenge.
How to survive the trauma, what to do to survive, how to stay yourself and remember what was beautiful in the family tradition, how to find yourself in the new reality after liberation?
" Mischling, or the mongrel" by Affinity Konar is a bold tale of courage, modest and beautiful, suspenseful and heartbreaking. I had a great desire to stay on each page as long as possible, but at the same time I had to find out quickly what to do next. This novel is a prime example of a story superbly written from the first to the last page.
Buy the book Affinity Konar titled "Mischling, or a mongrel" from the publisher's website.
David Wroblewski, author of "Edgar's Story" - a bestseller on the top of the "New York Times" list
What is most touching in Konar's book is the author's ability to portray the hell of Auschwitz and to grasp the strength of female and male prisoners at the same time. How they cling to hope and how they can bring out their empathy in the face of so much suffering. It is a portrait of people in an inhuman world.
Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
Konar has intricately woven a touching tale of twins who will not be separated by anything, even the cruelest fate. This is mystical prose, with a hint of poetry. The author uses her undeniable abilities to tell a captivating story about fortitude. Bravo.
Lucette Lagnado, author of "Children of the Flames", winner of the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature
"Mischling, or the mongrel" is a novel written with great virtuosity. The prose is dazzling, and the story of the twins is as touching as the novels of the greatest masters.
Chigozie Obioma, author of "The Fishermen"
Buy a book with a discount on the Publisher's website
