Polyphonic in structure, the distinctiveness of each narrative voice is testament to Austen’s skill and the resulting novel is both intimate and ambitious, lyrical and moving.
[A] nimble debut ... The glancing nature of the chapters inevitably leaves certain elements unrealized ... Francois, Charlotte and Leo, each an artist or art lover, all believe in a unity of “ethics and aesthetics” that should guide our actions, a tantalizing concept that doesn’t materialize in tangible ways. And the recurring references to the “Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus” by Ludwig Wittgenstein—a professor of Julian’s—remain as puzzling to me as that philosopher’s gnomic aphorisms ... One can overlook these elisions thanks to Ms. Austen’s skill at quick personality sketches and her knack for suspense.
Through an arresting symphony of the residents’ voices, debut novelist Austen carves a special place in the much-surveyed landscape of Holocaust fiction, especially in her homage to the importance of art. Equally remarkable is her ability to bestow attention on each of the many characters while still driving the plot forward ... The systematic build-up to what we know is coming is a master class in assembling disparate experiences to form a whole ... In a powerfully well-written novel, the most chilling thought is subtly said: “What is thinkable is also possible.”
