“Elon powerfully evokes the obscurity of the past and its hold on the present as we stumble through revelation after revelation with Yoel. As we accompany him on his journey…we share in his loss, surprise, and grief, right up to the novel’s shocking conclusion.” —The New York Times Book Review
In the tradition of The Invisible Bridge and The Weight of Ink, “a vibrant, page-turning family mystery” (Jennifer Cody Epstein, author of Wunderland) about a writer who discovers the truth about his mother’s wartime years in Amsterdam, unearthing a shocking secret that becomes the subject of his magnum opus.
Renowned author Yoel Blum reluctantly agrees to visit his birthplace of Amsterdam to promote his books, despite promising his late mother that he would never return to that city. While touring the Jewish Historical Museum with his wife, Yoel stumbles upon footage portraying prewar Dutch Jewry and is astonished to see the youthful face of his beloved mother staring back at him, posing with his father, his older sister…and an infant he doesn’t recognize.
This unsettling discovery launches him into a fervent search for the truth, shining a light on Amsterdam’s dark wartime history—the underground networks that hid Jewish children away from danger and those who betrayed their own for the sake of survival. The deeper into the past Yoel digs up, the better he understands his mother’s silence, and the more urgent the question that has unconsciously haunted him for a lifetime—Who am I?—becomes.
Part family mystery, part wartime drama, House on Endless Waters is “a rewarding meditation on survival” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) and a “deeply immersive achievement that brings to life stories that must never be forgotten” (USA TODAY).
Genre: Literary Fiction
In the tradition of The Invisible Bridge and The Weight of Ink, “a vibrant, page-turning family mystery” (Jennifer Cody Epstein, author of Wunderland) about a writer who discovers the truth about his mother’s wartime years in Amsterdam, unearthing a shocking secret that becomes the subject of his magnum opus.
Renowned author Yoel Blum reluctantly agrees to visit his birthplace of Amsterdam to promote his books, despite promising his late mother that he would never return to that city. While touring the Jewish Historical Museum with his wife, Yoel stumbles upon footage portraying prewar Dutch Jewry and is astonished to see the youthful face of his beloved mother staring back at him, posing with his father, his older sister…and an infant he doesn’t recognize.
This unsettling discovery launches him into a fervent search for the truth, shining a light on Amsterdam’s dark wartime history—the underground networks that hid Jewish children away from danger and those who betrayed their own for the sake of survival. The deeper into the past Yoel digs up, the better he understands his mother’s silence, and the more urgent the question that has unconsciously haunted him for a lifetime—Who am I?—becomes.
Part family mystery, part wartime drama, House on Endless Waters is “a rewarding meditation on survival” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) and a “deeply immersive achievement that brings to life stories that must never be forgotten” (USA TODAY).
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"House on Endless Waters is a haunting and lyrical meditation on who we are and where we come from, on how our past shapes our present and our art. Emuna Elon's gorgeously intricate novel is beautifully written and moving." - Jillian Cantor
"House on Endless Waters is extraordinary--a vibrant, page-turning family mystery that not only carries us deep into Amsterdam's little-explored wartime history, but into the fascinating, complex and often painful process by which history is crafted into story." - Jennifer Cody Epstein
"An elegant, eloquent novel--a story in which time and language melt to reveal truths that could be told in no other way." - Rachel Kadish
"Intricately woven and lushly layered...With achingly exquisite, delicate prose, Elon explores the creative mind's power to reimagine a life and memory's power to recognize truth. An unforgettable read." - Lynda Cohen Loigman
"I read this book in excitement and wonder. It's not only a touching and fascinating book, but a sophisticated one as well." - Amos Oz
"House on Endless Waters is extraordinary--a vibrant, page-turning family mystery that not only carries us deep into Amsterdam's little-explored wartime history, but into the fascinating, complex and often painful process by which history is crafted into story." - Jennifer Cody Epstein
"An elegant, eloquent novel--a story in which time and language melt to reveal truths that could be told in no other way." - Rachel Kadish
"Intricately woven and lushly layered...With achingly exquisite, delicate prose, Elon explores the creative mind's power to reimagine a life and memory's power to recognize truth. An unforgettable read." - Lynda Cohen Loigman
"I read this book in excitement and wonder. It's not only a touching and fascinating book, but a sophisticated one as well." - Amos Oz
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