The true story of two Holocaust survivors who fell in love in Auschwitz, only to be separated upon liberation and lead remarkable lives apart following the war—and then find each other again more than 70 years later.
It’s a remarkable love story, for sure. The problem is that there’s very little of it in the book ... The drama of their courtship is implied, which means it isn’t dramatic, which means it feels cheap, which, given the setting, is a little uncomfortable ... You get the sense that Zippi — who was meticulous and precise in her testimonies — would have hated this book ... Stories like this happened, and they can and should be told. (My grandparents, in fact, met in a concentration camp.) But without nuance or sensitivity or texture, it can feel superficial, even exploitative.
An incredible true story ... Their tale is compelling, though Blankfeld chooses to tell it in a way that some readers may find off-putting ... lankfeld also takes an unusual formal approach: Though the book is written in the third person, the author also writes from the perspectives of Zippi, who died before Blankfeld learned of her story ... Readers can decide for themselves what they make of this choice, and whether Blankfeld’s book was the best way to tell the story ... But even those who disagree with the authorial choices made in Lovers in Auschwitz will surely find much in their story inspiring. Zippi and David are both lovingly rendered.
While most of her writing is vigorous and straightforward...she lapses into a series of overheated interludes ... The book captures well how some astute and very lucky Jews were able to exercise limited forms of agency even within Auschwitz. And there is something inspiring about Wisnia and particularly Spitzer’s sheer will to survive and build new lives for themselves.
