The Light at the End of the Day
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Author Description
A family scattered. Lovers torn apart. A painting that unites them all. When Jozef is commissioned to paint a portrait of the younger daughter of Kraków’s grand Oderfeldt family, it is only his desperate need for money that drives him to accept. He has no wish to indulge a pampered child-princess or her haughty, condescending parents – and almost doesn’t notice Alicia’s bookish older sister, Karolina. But when he is ushered by a servant into their house on Kraków’s fashionable Bernadyńska street in the winter of 1937, he has no inkling of the way his life will become entangled with the Oderfeldts'. Or of the impact that the German invasion will have upon them all. As Poland is engulfed by war, and Jozef’s painting is caught up in the tides of history, Alicia, Karolina and their parents are forced to flee – their Jewish identity transformed into something dangerous, and their comfortable lives overturned... Spanning countries and decades The Light at the End of the Day is a heart-breaking novel of exile, survival and how we remember what is lost.
Menrva's Summary
THE PULSE
A commissioned portrait ignites a complex entanglement with a wealthy family on the brink of historical upheaval. When artist Jozef accepts a commission to paint the younger daughter of the Oderfeldt family in 1937 Kraków, he is driven by financial need and disdain for the family. However, his life becomes irrevocably intertwined with them, particularly the elder daughter Karolina, as the looming threat of war and invasion transforms their lives and their Jewish identities into something dangerous.
INSIDE THE PAGES
- The narrative spans multiple countries and decades, charting the Oderfeldt family's experiences.
- The story explores themes of exile, survival, and the impact of historical events on personal lives.
- A central painting serves as a unifying element amidst the family's scattering and the lovers' separation.
- The setting of Kraków in the late 1930s and the subsequent German invasion are critical to the plot.
- The Oderfeldt family's Jewish identity becomes a source of danger as war engulfs Poland.
- The novel contrasts the family's comfortable pre-war life with their overturned existence.
- The protagonist, Jozef, is drawn into the family's fate through his artistic commission.
THE COLLECTIVE ECHO
The novel is described as a heart-breaking story of exile and survival, focusing on how individuals remember what is lost. The premise sets up a narrative that explores the profound impact of historical events, specifically the German invasion of Poland, on a family's identity and their forced displacement. The story's scope across countries and decades suggests a sweeping family saga that grapples with themes of loss and remembrance. The intertwining of art and history through the commissioned portrait provides a unique lens through which to view the characters' experiences.
Page Count:
416
Publication Date:
2020-07-08
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN-10:
0008164169
ISBN-13:
9780008164164
Fiction
Historical Fiction
Art
Family Saga
World War
Fiction
Historical
War
Jewish
Literary
Biographical
War & Military
20th Century
