Mischling (35 page)

Unusual stories. Unexpected voices. An immersive sense of place. Lee Boudreaux Books publishes both award-winning authors and writers making their literary debut. A carefully curated mix, these books share an underlying DNA: a mastery of language, commanding narrative momentum, and a knack for leaving us astonished, delighted, disturbed, and powerfully affected, sometimes all at once.

One cannot approach
Mischling
without wondering, as Anthony Doerr so eloquently put it, if one's soul can survive the journey. But therein lies the magic of Affinity Konar's dazzling novel. While it is, indeed, among the most shattering novels I've ever read, it is also brimming with life and hope. It galvanizes the soul. It demands attention. It rewards that attention in a thousand unforgettable moments. And how did Konar achieve such transcendence? I put it down to her luminous and endlessly surprising language, which, to my mind, make
Mischling
an absolute miracle of observation and expression. But we can't overlook Pearl and Stasha, young female characters of such strength, intelligence, imagination, and bravery that I know I will never stop thinking about them.

As I edited this remarkable work, I repeatedly found myself looking up some of the real people from whom Konar drew her inspiration: Eva Mozes Kor and Miriam Mozes Zeiger, Zvi Spiegel, Alex Dekel, and, most especially, Gisella Pearl. I stand in awe of them, overwhelmed to imagine that
Mischling
will, perhaps, draw renewed attention to the largely untold story of the twins of Auschwitz.

 

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Over the course of her career, Lee Boudreaux has published a diverse list of titles, including Ben Fountain's
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk,
Smith Henderson's
Fourth of July Creek,
Madeline Miller's
The Song of Achilles,
Ron Rash's
Serena,
Jennifer Senior's
All Joy and No Fun,
Curtis Sittenfeld's
Prep,
and David Wroblewski's
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle,
among many others.

For more information about forthcoming books, please go to
leeboudreauxbooks.com
.

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