The Postcard: A Novel

In January 2003, an anonymous postcard arrives at the Berest family home. It bears a photograph of the Opéra Garnier in Paris and lists the names of Anne Berest's maternal great-grandparents, Ephraïm and Emma, and their children, Noémie and Jacques—all killed at Auschwitz. Fifteen years later, Anne becomes determined to discover who sent the postcard and why. With help from her mother, family members, friends, associates, a private detective, a graphologist, and others, she investigates the history of the Rabinovitch family: their departure from Russia following the revolution, their movements through Latvia and Palestine, and their arrival in Paris. The Postcard presents a portrait of twentieth-century Parisian intellectual and artistic life while exploring family secrets and the impact of the Holocaust on one family. Through her investigation, Anne uncovers a family saga that challenges her understanding of her family, her country, and herself. The novel won the Choix Goncourt Prize.