Soundless Road: Stories, Poems, and Drawings

In Soundless Roar: Stories, Poems, and Drawings, Ava Kadishson Schieber, who spent her adolescence on a Serbian farm hiding from the Nazis, gathers poignant recollections and spare, expressive pictures that give voice to her many losses. The writing, though not beautiful, is powerful and detailed: in one moment, the young Ava finds comfort in carrying a dog through a sniper-filled Belgrade street, because, ""if someone took aim at me, it would be less lonely to die this way."" In the minimalist line drawings, a figure shares space with another, less distinct figure; these are the ""friendly ghosts"" of her sister, her father and all the others who perished with them. (Aug.)