Book review: Sufferance ‘A book which haunts me’ – The Jewish Chronicle
Posted By admin on May 30, 2024
Sufferance
By Charles Palliser
Guernica World Editions 12.95
Reviewed by Keren David
A few years ago a friend of mine offered to house two Ukrainian refugees in her house, a mother and daughter. Her intentions were entirely good. But alas, the mother was demanding and bossy, the daughter spoilt, and the whole experience became a nightmare for my friend. Of course she sympathised with their plight but her home did not feel like her own any more.
I thought of her when I read Charles Pallisters new book Sufferance. For my friend it was painful to discover that a good deed can go sour. But what if her annoying guests had been hiding in fear of their lives? And what if their presence had threatened her own family?
The 13-year-old girl at the centre of Sufferance never named was not even in my daughters class, the narrator tells the reader. He isnt named either, nor are his family or the country they live in. The girls own community are never explicitly called Jews. And the Enemy is not labelled as Nazis. It is left to the reader to work these things out. That process adds extra layers of discomfort to this brilliantly clever novel, which haunts me days after finishing it.
In the hands of a less courageous writer, this could have been a trite crowd-pleaser of a Holocaust novel, in which the Jews are sympathetic, passive victims, the narrators family righteous heroes, and antisemitism is just for the Nazis. But Pallister has no interest in that kind of narrative. Instead he looks unflinchingly at the human condition and comes to the bleakest of conclusions. Good intentions here are undercut by self interest and prejudice, and every emotion involved in bringing a stranger into ones home a stranger whose presence comes to threaten the safety of the host family is mercilessly interrogated.
The girl has been left alone with a servant as her country is occupied and divided, her parents and younger brother cut off in the capital, her older brother in the army. She is charming but the lens through which we see her takes in resentment and jealousy as well as pity she is a show off from a rich family. Whats more her own kind dont seem to like her either. For her part she is keen to distance herself from the members of her community who have not learnt the language of the country they live in. Nonetheless the narrators family offers her shelter. I have to make it clear that we did not take an interest in her because we expected to be rewarded or anything like that, says the narrator, while almost in the next breath noting that her parents were staying in a hotel whose name I recognised as one of the grandest. Before their first meeting is over he has discovered that her father owns a department store, and soon is speculating that he might be offered a job there. But there is a human connection too: I felt for her as though she were my own child, and the idea came to me that was to have such far-reaching consequences.
The idea to offer the child shelter causes trouble in the family right from the start, with petty squabbles over rooms and possessions, especially a doll which the child loves. But quite soon the narrator, a civil servant, sees that things are going to get worse. I had begun to realise that certain colleagues in the citys administration who belonged to the same minority as the girl had ceased to appear at work Nobody ever mentioned them or asked where they had gone. As horrors unfold, they are mostly off stage, able to be ignored by not asking questions. Until it is too late, and the girl becomes a problem which must be solved in a terrible way.
There is scant comfort on offer. This is an antidote to those books and films that use the Shoah to tell uplifting moral fables. Charles Pallister deserves a wide audience for it.
Read more:
Book review: Sufferance 'A book which haunts me' - The Jewish Chronicle
- Jews assaulted during a pro-Israel protest in Toronto - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- 'A very different tone this time': Canadian Jewish leaders warn of spike in anti-Semitic violence - National Post [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Ohio supporter of ISIS pleads guilty in attempted attack on Jewish synagogue - cleveland.com [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Operation Solomon: Thirty years since the rescue of the Jews of Ethiopia - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Can Arab-Jewish peace survive the ongoing violence in Israel? - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women are bucking the patriarchal, authoritarian stereotype of their community - The Conversation US [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- The making of the Jewish extremist Meir Kahane - TRT World [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- The total collapse of Jewish and Israeli PR - opinion - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Most US kids of intermarriage raised Jewish; parents want institutions to notice - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Are the Jews being attacked in Israels mixed cities victims of pogroms - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Rise in antisemitic incidents in Florida prompts Jewish groups to spend thousands on security - WTXL ABC 27 [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- There are more American Jews and they're staying Jewish - thejewishchronicle.net [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Members of Jewish synagogue come together after act of vandalism - KVOA Tucson News [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Fact Check-Video of people tearing clothes in Jerusalem shows a Jewish custom and is not linked to the 2021 Hamas-Israel conflict - Reuters [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Charles Grodin and the Jewish question - Religion News Service [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Rise in antisemitic incidents in South Florida prompts Jewish groups to spend thousands on security - WPTV.com [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- No, 'Minions' weren't inspired by Jewish children who endured the Holocaust - PolitiFact [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Lod counts its losses: Torched synagogues and coexistence in this Jewish-Arab city - Haaretz [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- The Wawa Foundation Selects Jewish Family Service to Receive $15000 Grant - InsiderNJ [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Non-Jewish man assaulted in Munich and called a 'Jewish pig' - Cleveland Jewish News [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- The moral imperative behind the Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest - Yale Climate Connections [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Can America Be America When Jews Are Beaten in the Streets? - The Dispatch [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Essay: The Four Absurd Criticisms of Israel's War Conduct Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Joseph Borgen, Brutally Beaten By Group Of Suspects In Manhattans Diamond District, Speaks Out: My Whole Face Felt Like It Was On Fire For Hours - CBS... [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- The American Jewry demographic is only growing and becoming more diverse - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- As trust between Israeli Jews and Arabs reaches new lows, Netanyahu rises again - The Conversation US [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- The Tensions Inside a Mixed Jewish-Arab City in Israel - The New Yorker [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Organs of Arab teen allegedly shot by police save Arab and Jewish lives - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Heartwarming WWII Film 'Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog' Screens at the Virtual KCET Cinema Series on May 26th - KCET [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Young American Jews Have Reached a Tipping Point With Israel - Rolling Stone [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Jews and Muslims find common ground in German city - DW (English) [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Jews Who Leave the Faith Are Still Treated as Jewish - The Wall Street Journal [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Police investigating attacks on Jewish business, synagogue in N. Ireland - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Marjorie Taylor Greene Insists Any Rational Jewish Person Thinks Mask Mandates Are as Bad as the Holocaust - Vanity Fair [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- A second person was arrested in the gang assault of a Jewish man in New York during protests - CNN [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Officials Say Hate Crimes Against Jews Are Growing In The Aftermath Of Gaza Violence - NPR [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Police Investigate Possible Jewish Hate Crime Attack At Beverly Grove Restaurant - CBS Los Angeles [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Jew | History, Beliefs, & Facts | Britannica [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Judaism: Founder, Beliefs & Facts - HISTORY [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Bubbys Jewish Soul Food will bring traditional family recipes to North Central San Antonio this fall - San Antonio Current [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Elazar Stern is the most likely Herzog successor at the Jewish Agency - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Opinion | The Jewish History of Israel Is Over 3,000 Years Old. Thats Why Its Complicated. - The New York Times [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- When the Mob Came for the Jews of Baghdad - The Wall Street Journal [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Jewish, Arab actors work together to rebuild theatre burnt in Acre riots - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Portland Bagel Shop and Jewish Deli Coming to the College Area - Eater San Diego [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Jewish-Asian college student grieves lost senior year, and so much more J. - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Belgium to return Nazi-looted painting to German Jewish family - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh holds rally to bring awareness to increase in 'antisemitic attacks' - WPXI Pittsburgh [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- These Nice Jewish Boys answered John Oliver. YouTube called it hate speech - Haaretz [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Cops release new images of men sought in alleged attack on Jewish man; Islander previously arrested - SILive.com [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Jewish heiress abandons claims over priceless painting stolen by Nazis - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Biden science adviser takes oath on 500-year-old Jewish text - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Is it safe to become Jewish? What I tell conversion students - opinion - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- For Jewish immigrants, Boyle Heights was a place for community building and a slice of the American dream - KCRW [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Jewish writers with Soviet roots have deep stories to tell J. - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Stanford therapists allege 'hostile climate' for Jews in the workplace J. - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Omar seeks to clarify comments after Jewish House Democrats accuse her of comparing US and Israel with Hamas and Taliban - CNN [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Jewish student group 'SLO Hillel' opens new Pavilion The new gathering space is located at the - KSBY San Luis Obispo News [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Original source of pound cake recipe in new Athens Jewish cook book remains a mystery - Online Athens [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Readers Write: Far-right extremists not representative of L.I's Jewish community - Readers Write - The Island Now [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Our Jewish Israeli writer in Ramallah is ready to reveal who she is - Haaretz [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Jewish groups in the US and South Africa among recipients of MacKenzie Scott's latest $2.74B in grants - Cleveland Jewish News [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- 'George Soros was an easy target: hes Jewish, wealthy and secretive' - Haaretz [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- John Rathbun of East Longmeadow convicted of attempting to burn Jewish elder care campus after 2nd trial - MassLive.com [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Here are the top candidates to one of the most prestigious jobs in the Jewish world - Haaretz [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Jewish Federation Expands Outreach and Education to Counter Increased Antisemitism Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- JCF awards more than $140000 in scholarships for Jewish campers - Jewish News of Greater Phoenix [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- What is an egg cream and why is it so Jewish? - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- YC4KF Thanks Jewish Community Foundation for $8,000 Grant - Signals AZ [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Google criticized by Jewish organization for 'allowing' antisemitism - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Mission: Volunteer 52 Times in 52 Weeks - Jewish Exponent [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- First German Army rabbi in 100 years takes office - Haaretz [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Synagogues and camps are getting help to better support LGBTQ youth - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- 'Schitt's Creek': Where 'Jews of no religion,' facing exile, find redemption - The Conversation CA [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Man arrested after attacking 12-year-old Jewish boy in Los Angeles - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Jewish congregations gather at Davenport location - New Haven Register [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Jews are the only minority that tolerates the intolerable - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- The Jewish mensch who helped fight racial injustice in the Deep South - Haaretz [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Holocaust Center presents Jews' escape to India and Iran after 1933 - The Oakland Press [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Diplomat Turned Educator will Head Local University Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
Comments