Les Déracinés / The Uprooted – Bardon

Information

Author:

Catherine Bardon

Date:

Les Escales
March 2018

Author:

Additional Info

THE UPROOTED

Rights Holder: Les Escales
Original Language: French

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«Not to be missed. An absolutely extraordinary and important novel.»
—Gerard Collard

«A breath-taking historical fresco.»
—Lire

«An enthralling saga that sheds light on a little known part of history.»
—Version Femina

A saga about a little known aspect of Jewish history — a deal that sent Jews to the Dominican Republic where they had to work as free labor to escape the Nazis…

Vienna, 1931: Wilhelm, a 25-year-old journalist, meets Almah, the love of his life. They soon marry, but their wedded bliss is shadowed by the anti-Semitism raging in their country.

Over the course of the next few years, they see many of their friends and relatives escape into exile. Although it is a wrenching decision, Wilhelm knows he must do everything he can to save Almah and their young son. Having obtained visas for the USA, they are convinced they will be able to join Wilhem’s sister who is already there. But unfortunately...

The family is stuck in a refugee camp in Switzerland. Their visas were forgeries and the United States’ immigration quota has been reached. The situation seems hopeless until a man offers them an escape route: help establish a kibbutz in the Dominican Republic. Trujillo, the local dictator, made a deal with the Nazis: he’ll grant 100,000 visas to Jews in exchange for funds. In addition, the Jews will provide free labor to help develop the island’s infrastructure.

They finally arrive in Sosúa, in the tropical jungle. Wilhelm and Almah will have to learn to work under a withering sun and to find joy in a simple life, light-years away from the comfortable intellectual life they have been forced to leave behind in Austria. But it could also be an opportunity for them to reinvent themselves and to put down roots in a new land.

Catherine Bardon is madly in love with the Dominican Republic. She has written both travel guides and a photography book about the country, where she lived for many years. This is her first novel.

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