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Product Description
Quill & Quire
Although set in the months leading up to Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia, Alison Pick’s second novel does not wrestle with sweeping ideological conceits about the nature of evil or the burden of memory. The Holocaust is faintly alluded to in the novel by hushed voices on the radio or a body found in the street, but it is never a fully realized presence. While Far to Go is not a Holocaust story in the traditional sense, it is a poignant work that brims with feeling.
The story focuses on the Bauers, a secular Jewish Czech family, as they cope with the twin struggles of an increasingly anti-Semitic cultural climate and a strained marriage. Marta, the Bauers’ nanny, is the novel’s eyes and ears, and also its heart. Naive to a fault and crippled by a compulsive desire for a family, Marta is the novel’s only fully realized character. Pavel, the Bauer patriarch, is a lionized, wooden white knight, and his wife, Anneliese, is spoiled and childlike. Seen entirely through the lens of Marta’s simplistic worldview, neither is granted any nuance or complexity.
The novel stumbles through a number of sections told by an unknown narrator, whose voice is woven into the central narrative and whose (easily guessed) identity is revealed as the novel progresses. Pick’s subject matter is compelling enough to stand alone without this contrived plot device.
But setting aside these missteps, Pick’s gorgeous writing is to be savoured: her prose is enhanced by a poet’s sensibility. She creates a richly imagined, sensuous world where flavours and aromas waft through the pages and every detail is vividly drawn. Far to Go is at its most moving in its final section, as Pepik is shipped off to England as part of a Kindertransport. Here, Pick heartbreakingly renders the child’s terror and confusion at being separated from his family. His disorientation mirrors our own as place and time are blurred in the narrative. Ultimately, the aching need to belong emerges as the emotional pulse of this deeply felt novel.
Review
Far To Go puts a new spin on moral compromise...shows terrific craft and emotional intelligence. A winner. (Susan G. Cole NOW Magazine 20100904)
...what sets Pick apart are her modern chapters in between her looks into the past. (Telegraph Journal 20110204)
[. . .] a [. . .] fast-paced, suspenseful, moving and unique tale. (Sharon Chisvin Winnipeg Free Press 20101210)
...Alison Pick has crafted a powerful story...Far To Go demonstrates the devastation of war — and the effects it has on the children who grow up through it — without going anywhere near a battlefield. (Adrienne Brown Guelph Mercury 20110811)
...a page-turner... (Nancy Wigston The Toronto Star 20110512)
. . . authentic . . . Pick's writing is so gripping . . . (Jennifer Lipman Jewish Chronicle 20100910)
. . . [a] spare, powerful novel . . . it is bewildered six-year-old Pepik, and his harrowing journey, that encapsulates the loss and hope and heartbreak that is the life-blood of this extraordinary story. (Eithne Farry Daily Mail 20100916)
The writing in Far to Go is clean, crisp and unencumbered. Pick never dwells for too long in an image or metaphor, and she creates small moments that are both lovely and frightening. (Steven Galloway The Globe and Mail 20110912)
An intriguing experiment in the art of storytelling. (Elaine Kalman-Naves Montreal Gazette 20111104)
Far to Go is a breath-taking, heart-breaking novel, and Alison Pick is a beautiful writer. (Angie Abdou Fernie Fix 20101029)
A heart-rending story about a decision that shapes the lives of both those on the train to freedom and those left behind. (Grace Toby Chatelaine 20100924)
Pick has a knack for narrative and an ear for the authentic...a beautiful, haunting story. (Elana Rabinovitch Women's Post )
...the Holocaust persists in the literary imagination and through the refining fire of fiction a new generation confronts its own version of what it means to be human (Geraldine Sherman National Post )
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent and provocative read.,
By
This review is from: Far to Go (Hardcover)
Far to Go is powerful and compelling writing. Pick weaves a well-researched slice of history into a moving story that will stay with you. I'm already looking forward to her next book.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enthralling and riveting,
By
This review is from: Far to Go (Hardcover)
A beautifully written, spellbinding piece of work. The characters are compelling and the story's plot twists and turns in large and small ways. Every detail is captivating and full of suspense. The kind of novel that sweeps the reader away into another time and place. Very moving, layered, and powerful. Pick is a wonderfully talented writer. Strongly recommended.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Far To Go,
By
This review is from: Far to Go (Hardcover)
I enjoyed the story and the way it was written. I really made you think about the lives of those involved in the war and how little things cause people to make decisions that may be entirely wrong and have profound effects. It was thoughtful character development and good writing.
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