Winner of the Helen and Stan Vine Jewish Book Award and finalist for the Man Booker Prize
In Far to Go, one of our most accomplished young writers takes us inside the world of an affluent Jewish family in Prague during the lead-up to Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia.
In 1939, Pavel and Anneliese Bauer are secular Jews whose lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Hitler. They are unable to leave the country in time to avoid deportation, but they do manage to get their six-year-old son Pepik a place on a Kindertransport. Meanwhile, a fascinating and compelling present-day strand in the story slowly reveals the unexpected fates of each of the Bauers. Through a series of surprising twists, Pick leads us to ask: What does it mean to cling to identity in the face of persecution? And what are the consequences if you attempt to change your identity?
Inspired by the harrowing five-year journey Alison Pick's own grandparents embarked upon from their native Czechoslovakia to Canada during the Second World War, Far to Go is an epic historical novel that traces one family's journey through these tumultuous and traumatic events. A layered, beautifully written, moving, and suspenseful story by one of our rising literary stars.
Winner of the Helen and Stan Vine Jewish Book Award and finalist for the Man Booker Prize
In Far to Go, one of our most accomplished young writers takes us inside the world of an affluent Jewish family in Prague during the lead-up to Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia.
In 1939, Pavel and Anneliese Bauer are secular Jews whose lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Hitler. They are unable to leave the country in time to avoid deportation, but they do manage to get their six-year-old son Pepik a place on a Kindertransport. Meanwhile, a fascinating and compelling present-day strand in the story slowly reveals the unexpected fates of each of the Bauers. Through a series of surprising twists, Pick leads us to ask: What does it mean to cling to identity in the face of persecution? And what are the consequences if you attempt to change your identity?
Inspired by the harrowing five-year journey Alison Pick's own grandparents embarked upon from their native Czechoslovakia to Canada during the Second World War, Far to Go is an epic historical novel that traces one family's journey through these tumultuous and traumatic events. A layered, beautifully written, moving, and suspenseful story by one of our rising literary stars.
| Published By | House of Anansi Press Inc — Aug 28, 2010 |
| Specifications | 328 pages | 5.25 in x 8 in |
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| Written By | Alison Pick is an award-winning novelist and poet. She lives in Toronto, Ontario. Visit Alison Pick's website: http://www.alisonpick.com/ Follow Alison Pick on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/alisonpick |
| Written By |
| Alison Pick is an award-winning novelist and poet. She lives in Toronto, Ontario. Visit Alison Pick's website: http://www.alisonpick.com/ Follow Alison Pick on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/alisonpick |
Winner, Helen and Stan Vine Jewish Book Award, 2011
Long-listed, Man Booker Prize for Fiction, 2011
Long-listed, ReLit Awards: Novel, 2011
Winner, Words Worthy Award, 2010
Short-listed, OLA Evergreen Award, 2011
Short-listed, CBC Bookies: Best Overall Book, 2011
“...Alison Pick has crafted a powerful story...Far To Go demonstrates the devastation of war - and the effects it has on the children who grow up through it - without going anywhere near a battlefield.” —Guelph Mercury
“Far to Go is a worthwhile and accomplished, if not flawless, novel.” —The Bull Calf
“...the Holocaust persists in the literary imagination and through the refining fire of fiction a new generation confronts its own version of what it means to be human.” —National Post
“Far To Go puts a new spin on moral compromise...shows terrific craft and emotional intelligence. A winner.” —NOW Magazine
“Pick has a knack for narrative and an ear for the authentic...a beautiful, haunting story.” —Women's Post
“...a page-turner...” —Toronto Star
“. . . [a] spare, powerful novel . . . it is bewildered six-year-old Pepik, and his harrowing journey, that encapsulates the loss and hope and heartbreak that is the life-blood of this extraordinary story.” —Daily Mail
“. . . authentic . . . Pick's writing is so gripping . . .” —Jewish Chronicle
“Far to Go is a breath-taking, heart-breaking novel, and Alison Pick is a beautiful writer.” —Fernie Fix
“A heart-rending story about a decision that shapes the lives of both those on the train to freedom and those left behind.” —Chatelaine