Holocaust Books: Children of Survivors Outrunning Their Pasts
The last three books of the VENUS AS SHE AGES collection have themes related to the effects of the holocaust on the next generation. They are subtle but the Protagonists’ and sometimes other characters carry the wounds into their 21st century lives.
In THE BED YOU LIE IN, the protagonist and the man she becomes intertwined with are both children of holocaust survivors. They see each other’s pain and, because of it, act out of those places. That are wounded and not often pretty. Thankfully, they have that Jewish ironic humor.
In WRITE, SHE SAID, the protagonist goes with Marguerite Duras and Jean Rhys on a trip to Europe. All three women have their history with the second world war and although love and writing are the main topics of the book, the war seeps in.
In MAGNETISM, a woman seeks to find eros and passion in her life and it is her over 80 year old holocaust survivor neighbor who is the one who really shows it to her.
Jacqueline Gay Walley, under the pen name, Gay Walley, is a writer of many works of fiction, screenwriter for the films The Unattainable Story and Erotic Fire of the Unattainable: Longing to be Found. Her play, Love Genius and a Walk, was nominated for 6 awards at the Midtown Play Festival, NYC, including best playwright. She lives in NYC and ghostwrites, edits and teaches.
ISBN# 978-1-955314-28-2
"The author's memorable style and strong character development weave a heartfelt story that will be remembered by all readers." – Library Journal
"Walley knows her territory. She knows alcoholics; she knows how difficult it is to love, and endure love, after a broken childhood. In the end what stays with the reader is the loyalty of the damaged child to the equally damaged parent." – Margaret Diehl, The New York Times Book Review
"An intelligent and uncommonly sensitive first novel describing a young woman's slow and painful coming of age... a quiet and unassuming debut all the more moving for its modesty." – Kirkus
"An engaging and persuasive novel, a difficult life shaped into a configuration of wisdom and grace. Gay Walley is a writer of uncommon perception and extraordinary poise. Her gift for maintaining perfect balance between delicacy and depth will take the reader's breath away." – Susan Dodd Author of The Mourner's Bench and O Careless Love: Stories and a Novella