by Linda Kinstler
SYNOPSIS
To probe the past is to submit the memory of one's ancestors to a certain kind of trial. In this case, the trial came to me.
A few years ago Linda Kinstler discovered that a man fifty years dead - a former Nazi who belonged to the same killing unit as her grandfather - was the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation in Latvia. The proceedings threatened to pardon his crimes. They put on the line hard-won facts about the Holocaust at the precise moment that the last living survivors - the last legal witnesses - were dying.
Across the world, Second World War-era cases are winding their way through the courts. Survivors have been telling their stories for the better part of a century, and still judges ask for proof. Where do these stories end? What responsibilities attend their transmission, so many generations on? How many ghosts need to be put on trial for us to consider the crime scene of history closed?
In this major non-fiction debut, Linda Kinstler investigates both her family story and the archives of ten nations to examine what it takes to prove history in our uncertain century. Probing and profound, Come to this Court and Cry is about the nature of memory and justice when revisionism, ultra-nationalism and denialism make it feel like history is slipping out from under our feet. It asks how the stories we tell about ourselves, our families and our nations are passed down, how we alter them, and what they demand of us.
REVIEW
A book covering this subject matter was always going to be emotive and from other books I have read about the Holocaust and the Second World War I knew that at times it might be hard to read, but this really was an outstanding account of author Linda Kinstler's own family history and an overview of a period in history that I still have trouble believing could be true.
It was actually this quote which drew my attention to this particular book on the Wingate shortlist, and after finishing it I can confirm that it is exactly what you are going to find - 'Part detective story, part family history, part probing inquiry into how best to reckon with the horrors of a previous century . . . Astonishing' Patrick Radden Keefe It doesn't just follow the author researching her grandfather's involvement in the War, it reaches beyond her personal investment and looks at how war criminals who took part in the genocide continue to be investigated. In addition, the book looks at the history of the Holocaust in Latvia, a point of view that despite studying the Second World War and reading many fiction and non-fiction books on the subject, I have never read about before.
Come To This Court And Cry deals with some incredibly complex arguments, looking at legal issues from the point of view of Holocaust survivors and from more personal viewpoints. As you can probably imagine, it's not an easy read (I had to break it down and read it in sections with breaks in between), but it is definitely a book worth persevering with. An outstanding and detailed account which was both heartbreaking and captivating - this book is a beautifully written body of research.
THE WINGATE LITERARY PRIZE 2023
The Wingate Prize is a literary award, and is given to the best book, fiction or non-fiction, to translate the idea of Jewishness to the general reader.
The Prize was started in 1977, and is run in association with JW3, the Jewish Cultural Centre. The winner receives £4000.
Previous winners include David Grossman, Anne Michaels, WG Sebald, Zadie Smith, and Nicole Krauss.
The 2023 Wingate Literary Prize shortlist explores a diverse range of themes and subject matter this year, including World War II internment camps, the ‘proving’ of history and the wanderings of a self-proclaimed messiah. The shortlist is made up of 3 works of non-fiction and 4 fiction titles.
Now in its 46th year, the annual prize, worth £4,000 and run in association with JW3, is awarded to the best book, fiction or non-fiction, to translate the idea of Jewishness to the general reader.
The 7 shortlisted books are:
The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land by Omer Friedlander. John Murray
The characters in The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land, a collection of short stories, are funny and tragic, guilt-stricken and complex, naive and disillusioned: a kaleidoscope of life and colour in Israel.
Come to this Court and Cry by Linda Kinstler. Bloomsbury Circus
The extraordinary story of the author’s search for the facts about her grandfather, a member of the Latvian death squads during WWII. It’s about Jewish identity, Holocaust revisionism, and whether justice can ever be found.
The Island of Extraordinary Captives by Simon Parkin. Sceptre
As relevant today as in the 1940s when it is set, The Island of Extraordinary Captives chronicles the refugees, many of them artists and anti-Nazi activists, who were imprisoned in British internment camps on the Isle of Man, betrayed by the country they hoped would save them.
The Memory Monster by Yishai Sarid (trans Yardenne Greenspan). Serpent’s Tail Although short, The Memory Monster packs a punch: it’s an allegorical and thought-provoking novella about the Holocaust industry, generational trauma, the power of hate and our duty to remember.
The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk (trans Jennifer Croft). Fitzcarraldo Editions
An impressive, well-researched and immersive book charting the life and times of 18th century self-proclaimed Jewish messiah Jacob Frank. The prose is sinuous and the world-building is breathtaking.
In the Midst of Civilised Europe by Jeffrey Veidlinger. Picador
A virtuoso analysis of how the violence of the pogroms created the climate in which the Holocaust was made possible. Immaculately researched and powerfully argued, its careful prose confronts unbearable cruelty with both empathy and clear-sightedness.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Chatto
A loving tribute to computer gaming, but the games are merely a metaphor for the richly emotional inner lives and intersecting identities of the main characters, one Jewish and one Jewish-Korean.
Thanks to Anne Cater - @RandomTTours, Bloomsbury Books UK - @BloomsburyBooks and The Wingate Prize - @Wingateprize for the opportunity to read and review.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Books Genre: International Law / History / Non-Fiction
ISBN: 978-1526612595
Pages: 320pp
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