British author Baddiel (Time for Bed
) takes a little-known fact of WWII history—the internment of refugees on the Isle of Man—as inspiration for his compelling novel about a German-Jewish couple who escape the Nazis only to be wrenched apart by the British government. Isaac Fabian, who is Jewish; his gentile wife, Lulu; and their baby daughter, Rebekka, arrive safely in Cambridge in 1940. But Isaac's membership in the Communist party draws the attention of the authorities, who deport him to the Isle of Man internment camp. There, imprisonment takes a toll on his health, psyche and marriage. Isaac becomes involved with June Murray, a British translator researching the Jewish plight for the ministry of information, while back in Cambridge Lulu fends off advances from a man who had agreed to write a testimonial letter on Isaac's behalf. Baddiel combines strong characterization with satisfying narrative build, as Isaac plots to help assassinate a Nazi living among the refugees. Despite a too neat epilogue revealing the Fabians' reunion plus Isaac's false claim to June that he escaped Auschwitz, this intelligently written, layered novel should make an inventive addition to Holocaust fiction. Agent, Georgia Garrett. (July)
