Meryl Frank – Unearthed, a review
- by CrafterFox
- in Book Club
- posted June 13, 2023
Meryl Frank’s Unearthed is a beautifully crafted family memoir in which she delves into her family’s history and uncovers the stories of her relatives who tragically perished in the Holocaust. Frank is very meticulous in finding out as much as possible about her cousin, Franya, who was an actress prior to the Second World War. Through her relentless investigation, she unveils a world lost to the ravages of hatred, while also highlighting Vilna’s (or Vilnius as it is known today) place as a cultural sanctuary for artists of all kinds and its resistance during the war. Meryl Frank grapples with two fundamental questions: how do we define our responsibility to the past and how do we make sure that the next generation is aware of all that’s happened without being consumed by it?
At that time, Vilnius was a sparkling place of inspiration and imagination in the midst of a kind of renaissance. Though the city boasted deep history, from remnants of its medieval walls to the oldest church in Lithuania, it was also becoming a beacon of modernity in Eastern Europe.
The story of how the book came to be in her possession, as well as the story of a photograph of her cousin, Franya, are very interesting, indeed. When reading about the fascinating history of these objects, one almost feels like part of a mystery novel or movie.
Frank meticulously documented every step of her research in finding out anything and everything she could about her family and about the book (Twenty-One and One) she owned but vowed not to read. The memoir is full of stories upon stories about her journey in discovering and unearthing the truth about these poor victims of the Holocaust, as well as with actual stories about the victims’ lives during those perilous times. While some of them are quite interesting to read about (not to mention shocking and heartbreaking), I did find the amount of them quite overwhelming. While the book Frank is researching, Twenty-One and One, is admittedly in the centre of her investigation, she takes many detours in her story. While I understand that all of these side-stories are an important and integral part of her investigative work, I found my attention wandering at times. Nevertheless, Meryl Frank’s commitment to her family’s history can only be commended.
All in all, Unearthed by Meryl Frank is not for the faint of heart. It describes some of the many atrocities committed by the Nazis towards the Jewish population of Lithuania and Poland. The number of these stories seem endless and we know these are just a few of the innumerable inhumane acts committed during the Second World War. Reading about them makes one’s blood boil with rage. Meryl Frank’s attempt at preserving the memory of those written about in the ‘forbidden book’ is successfully achieved. Their memory is forever engraved in stone, never to be lost again. Franya’s face shines brightly, now that she has been saved from oblivion.
Burying sacred items felt connected to the deep-held Jewish tradition of disposing of sacred texts and materials by burying them as one would a human being in sanctified ground. But in this case, unearthing them became sacred, as well.
The metaphor of the act of unearthing something is ever so present in the novel: pictures unearthed from the rubble, people ‘unearthed’ from their underground hiding place and memories unearthed from personal accounts about them, never to be forgotten ever again. I especially love how this metaphor intertwines the whole of Meryl Frank’s Unearthed.
My Rating
I was very fortunate and happy to get a copy of this book for review, and for that I owe a big thank you to NetGalley and the author!
The importance of this family memoir is unquestionable. However, because of the many detours Frank takes in explaining every little step of her journey of digging deep to find out everything she could about her cousin, about the pictures a man found in an abandoned house in France and about the ‘forbidden book’ Twenty One and One, I feel like I can only give it a Three Fox rating. 🦊🦊🦊
I commend Frank’s commitment to educate and preserve memory while also immortalizing the people who perished in an unthinkably cruel war. She did a wonderful job at being the “Memorial Candle” for her family, as well as for those who died during the Holocaust.
Discussion Points
What do you think about Meryl Frank’s approach to preserving her family’s history and memories?
What do you think about the deep connection Frank felt towards her cousin, Franya?
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Thank you for reading! 💙
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