To the Land of the Cattails

This is the story of a mother and son who leave Austria in 1939 to travel eastward in Europe to the home of the mother’s religious parents whom she abandoned many years ago. The mother and son travel by horses and wagon, stopping at inns and partaking of meals and coffee. The farther east they travel the more uneasy the mother becomes. Having had a Christian father in Austria, the son does not appear Jewish, but his beautiful mother is recognized as a Jewess.

The reading is slow in this story as the two characters are taken places which are increasingly hostile to Jews. It is a very uncomfortable story because as readers we know the future of the Jews in Europe at that time. It’s a look at a mother-son relationship both with its love show more and its doubts. The story is mostly peaceful and quiet, but has a dark, disturbing rumble to it. The tone of the story subtlety changes to an atmosphere of fear as the journey continues. Toni accepts it; Rudy challenges it.

Aharon Appelfeld is known to write about the atmosphere in Europe prior to the Holocaust. I had an idea of what this novel would be like before reading it, and I was correct. My suggestion for anyone who reads it is to not bail on it. The beginning of the book might seem slow, but there is a reason for the pace and all of the description in this book. The beauty of this book is in the mood it creates for the reader. Bear with it, and let it pull you along at its own speed.

There came a point at which I understood why most of this book was a slow, plodding narrative of mother and son. The briskness of the the mothers disappearance was shattering. I found this novel to be very powerful and a reflection of a certain time and place in history well worth remembering. show less

The first Appelfeld I read, and an excellent introduction. The travelogue aspect seems like the perfect way to begin to understand Appelfeld's concerns and themes.