To me, Rachele’s journey feels as if it has no defined end, and that’s a good thing. It starts as she leaves class for Christmas holidays, but every new interaction feels like a new adventure. Yet, those adventures are all short, ending within our gaze. Combined, they display life as Rachele is experiencing it as a young, well-off, Jewish girl in post-WWII Italy. The journeys that others are on will continue, but not within the understanding of our protagonist. A quick, introspective read that dives into the consciousness of a child in an unfamiliar time and place.
The Only Daughter by A.B. Yehoshua, (List Price: 26.99, HarperVia, 9780358670445, April 2023)
Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina