Amazon.com: J. Cameron-Smith "Exp...'s review of And the Rat Laughed
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars `Memory is the power of the soul to recollect things and not to forget them.', February 27, 2009
What does it mean to remember? And especially to share those memories where words alone cannot convey a complete sense of experience? How can emotional memory be shared between generations?

Ms Semel weaves these questions into her story about a Holocaust survivor grandmother in Tel Aviv whose granddaughter is seeking to interview her about her experiences as a child during World War II. The grandmother's memory is clear but recounting such horrors cannot be done directly. The granddaughter's understanding is filtered through her own life experience and there can be no neat alignment between the two. The story becomes part of a legend of the Girl and the Rat which echoes in its own way: part metaphor and part fact.

The grandmother tells her story at the end of 1999, in 2009 it becomes part of internet folklore together with poems. In 2099, an anthropologist researching the origins of this myth uncovers the journal of the priest who saved the little girl's life during World War II. Thus we have a chain of `remembearers' who move between past, present and future using different modes of communication to keep the story alive while the facts wait in the background.

The story in this novel is a powerful story in its own right, but as a vehicle for the power of memory it is outstanding. This is a beautifully written novel which explores a range of complex issues and invites the reader to question their own understanding of events and how they might effectively communicate into the future.

I am certain that this novel will feature in my `best reads' for 2009.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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Location: ACT, Australia

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Showing 1-8 of 8 posts in this discussion
Initial post: Feb 28, 2009 4:33 AM PST
 H. Schneider says:
a strong recommendation, VJ!
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Posted on Mar 1, 2009 5:21 AM PST
 R. Nicholson says:
Jenny; a subject that can still bring out the most vivid of emotions.
Nice review,
Ray
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Posted on Mar 1, 2009 1:45 PM PST
 Linda Bulger says:
It seems in this day and age that nothing from the present can ever be forgotten, everything's documented so fully. But what does it all mean? How will it be interpreted?
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In reply to an earlier post on Mar 17, 2009 9:27 AM PDT
 Giordano Bruno says:
I missed this review when it first appeared. Strong recommendation. Pop! Into the cart!
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In reply to an earlier post on Mar 17, 2009 12:11 PM PDT
 J. Cameron-Smith says:
Gio, I think that you will be intrigued I'd love to hear/read your thoughts on both the specific and general when you've had an opportunity to read it
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Posted on Mar 22, 2009 4:09 AM PDT
 Paul Weiss says:
Sounds like a powerful novel, indeed. Great review, Jenny.
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Posted on Mar 23, 2009 11:01 PM PDT
 Teddy says:
Thought provoking review Jenny. I just added it to my TBR.
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Posted on Mar 29, 2009 6:06 AM PDT
 Karen Joan says:
Very high praise. Nice job, Jenny.
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