Book notes | House on Endless Waters
Yoel Blum, the main character in Emuna Elon’s 2020 novel House on Endless Waters, is a renowned author living in Israel. When his Dutch publisher asks him to come to Amsterdam for a book promotion, he hesitates. He knows he was born in Amsterdam, but he and his mother and sister left there when he was very young, and the city was occupied by the Nazis. His now-deceased mother had told him never to visit Amsterdam.
Yoel and his wife decide to go there anyway and while there, they visit the Jewish Historical Museum where they watch a filmstrip of Jewish life before the war. In one brief scene, he recognizes his mother and sister, who are with a man he assumes is his father although he doesn’t remember him at all. His mother is holding a baby, but the baby isn’t him. Yoel and his wife watch the film over and over trying to determine what is going on.
A new understanding
They return to Israel, but the nagging feeling that he must find out more about the people in the filmstrip pulls him back to Amsterdam. He finds a hotel room to rent in the area of the city where his family lived. He returns many times to the Jewish Museum and walks the city, finding landmarks of Jewish life. His numerous notebooks become filled with stories of his family, their friends, and eventually their outcome. Thus begins his journey of finding out the many things that his mother kept from him, which leads to a new understanding of who he is.
The book goes back and forth from Yoel’s current world and his Jewish life during the German occupation of Amsterdam in World War II. He gathers facts about his own family and the lives of those close to them and spins all of this into a story of turmoil and terror.
Emuna Elon is a female writer, which surprised some in the UMRA Book Club as she writes about a male character. This book was translated from Hebrew. Many in the book group felt the book was confusing at first but most agreed that it was an excellent look at the plight of the Jews during this terrifying period of Dutch history.
—Stephanie Daily, UMRA Book Club I member
Book Club I to meet August 20
Fri, Aug 20 2021, 2pm
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of House on Endless Waters by Emuna Elon when the UMRA Book Club I meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, August 20.
This book club currently has 16 members, a number that works well for our discussions. Contact Pat Tollefson at [email protected] for more information, including suggestions for starting a new book club.
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.