Naomi Weisman is a Canadian-Australian and mother of three who loves to ramble with her dog, cook for family and friends, and laugh whenever possible.
Lately, I’ve been looking at books in the Little Libraries in front of people’s houses on my dog walk routes. I don’t often find things that interest me, but every now and then, I do. So, when I found The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman, I decided to put it in my luggage, drag it to the other side of the planet, and read it in Australia!
I love that this novel begins with the ending scene. It was not a spoiler for me because the beauty was in the telling of what transpired in the lives of the main characters between when they first met and when they meet again.
We meet Lenka and Josef in 1937, both young Jewish people living in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Lenka comes from a middle-class household, with a younger sister named Marta and parents who are deeply in love with one another. She is an art student. Josef is the only son of a doctor, his wife, and the older brother of his sister Verushka. He attends medical school.
Lenka’s best friend is Verushka, who attends the same art college. When Verushka invites Lenka to dinner, it is love at first sight for Josef, but there are many obstacles for these two lovers at a time when the Nazis are invading their country, and their very survival is a stake.
The Lost Wife explores the endurance of first love, the resilience of the human spirit, and our capacity to remember. It is, at times, gut-wrenching and, at others, beautifully heartwarming. It describes the many kinds of love that can drive a person toward a full life and legitimizes how each kind has its place in our hearts and minds.
I realize I am a bit late to the party and that this book is 13 years old. Many of you have probably read it, but if you haven’t, I highly recommend you do. Especially if you love historical fiction based on real-life people and events.
Happy reading!
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