Point of View

The novel is told through a third-person, omniscient narrator. The story is straight forward, although the narrator does break in on occasion to comment on what happened or in the case of Reb Hirschl's death, telling the reader directly that the details of his death will not be revealed. This is evidenced by the comment that "All the same, I will spare you the details of what happened to Reb Hirschl" (175).

That is not to suggest that the narrator shies from the horrors of war. The narrator gives details about the different events in the war, from the Polish invasion to when the academics, such as Anna's father, were taken into custody.

Ultimately, the war is seen through the lens of a seven-year-old girl abandoned during World War II. She ages throughout the course of the novel through puberty, but does not reach adulthood before...