‘Would you believe it？ A girl survived here。” – exploring the Holocaust aftereffects Israeli author Ravit Raufman appears to be making a literary debut with THE LOST GIRL FROM BELZEC and the writing quality of this book announces the arrival of a clear voice reflecting on the aspects of the Holocaust together with an absorbing examination of a mother daughter relationship。 The novel is translated from the Hebrew by Yael Schonfeld Abel。Adding to the depth of introspection this story about a mothe ‘Would you believe it？ A girl survived here。” – exploring the Holocaust aftereffects Israeli author Ravit Raufman appears to be making a literary debut with THE LOST GIRL FROM BELZEC and the writing quality of this book announces the arrival of a clear voice reflecting on the aspects of the Holocaust together with an absorbing examination of a mother daughter relationship。 The novel is translated from the Hebrew by Yael Schonfeld Abel。Adding to the depth of introspection this story about a mother’s pledge to save her daughter from the threat of the Holocaust， Raufman wisely opens this novel with an impressive contemporary moment that foreshadows the tale that follows。 To wit， ‘Imagine your horror movie， the phone rings and the screen displays Ariella Appel’s name。 “Hello，” you answer and are told that Adva， her daughter whom she loved， has cut her self again， but deeper this time， and more severely。 You rush off to Tel HaShomer Hospital Intensive Care， and ask at the desk for Adva Appel。 “Are you her mother？” the nurse inquires， and you reply that you aren’t。 Her sister？ No。 Not family at all。 Well， then， who are you/ ”Her therapist？”…And imagine it’s not a horror movie， but it’s actually happening。 And while you’re wandering the hospital corridors， as the doctors fight for you patient’s life （who knows， maybe she can still be saved？）， the phone rings again， and Amnon’ s number appears on the screen。 “Noga，” he tells you。 “I understand you didn’t end up making it to Mom’s。” That degree of drama pervades this fine novel that visits WW II and the struggles of a mother and daughter with the Belzec Extermination Camp in Poland – in dynamic retrospection。Raufman’s synopsis traces the plot: ‘When little Ruthie and her mother are taken to Belzec Extermination Camp in the midst of World War II， Ruthie's mother knows that her daughter's life is in grave danger。 Desperate， she will do anything to save her from the terrible fate that awaits her， even at the cost of her own life。 But she will have to act fast if she wants to give her daughter a chance of survival。 Years later， Ruthie's daughter， Noga， delves into the untold mysteries of her mother's past， on a quest to heal their fragmented relationship。 Slowly， events of the past come to light， revealing the extraordinary tale of a little girl in grave peril， and a mother who would stop at nothing to save her。’ The significance of the opening pages quoted above becomes evident。There are many novels with the impact of the Holocaust as the theme， but one reason Raufman’s book absorbs attention is the use of a credible contemporary setting from which to explore the impact on family members who survived。 This is exceptionally fine writing， cinematic in nature， and a unique view of the horrors of the past and how they tattoo the present when explored with the dignity of this novel。 Very highly recommended 。。。more