Kaddish for a Child Not Born — Imre Kertesz

Imre Kertesz's mesmerizing novel is a tale of identity and memory - the story of a middle-aged man taking stock of his life in the ever-present shadow of the Holocaust. The story unfolds at a writers retreat as the narrator, a survivor of the Holocaust, explains to a friend that he cannot bring a child into a world where the Holocaust occurred and could occur again. In an intricate narrative, we learn of the narrator's myriad disappointments: his unsuccessful literary career, his failed marriage, his ex-wife's new family and children - children that could have been his own. Kaddish for a Child Not Born is a deeply introspective, poetic yet unsentimental work.