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Comments (0)In Aharon Appelfeld’s “Until the Dawn’s Light,” a high school honors student, the Jewish Blanca, raised in provincial Austria in the early 20th century, falls in love with Adolf, a non-Jew. The two inevitably marry, which begins a chain of horrific events. However, this is no commentary on the danger of mixed marriages. Rather, it is a kind of coming-of-age story as Blanca is forced to learn how to tolerate her anti-Semitic husband, and to support herself and her son.
Appelfeld’s novel is a beautiful account of assimilated Jews in pre-Holocaust central Europe. Although Blanca does not practice Judaism, and is, in fact, baptized, she continuously struggles with her Jewish identity. The book is characterized by this Jewishness without any explicit mention of Judaism. In Appelfeld’s world, Judaism has surpassed the realm of theology and has become essential part of the mindsets of the Jewish characters, practice aside.
Given this pervasive Jewish identity, Appelfeld’s novel provides stunning examples of character nuance and development. While there are clear heroes and villains, there are no saints or demons. Each person has a measure of sympathy that makes him or her, if not likeable, tolerable. Particularly striking are Blanca’s family, whose dichotomous relationship with Judaism and other Jews likely influenced her confusion.
Appelfeld’s beautiful prose and incredible complexity make this a great book, particularly for those who feel inundated with Holocaust literature. The reader can feel the rise of Nazism on the horizon, but will not see it as contrived. Appelfeld does not ask the reader to feel anything, but he or she will nonetheless.