Exile Music 


Many people know the story of Anne Frank. Stories of holocaust survivors have filled pages, but what of those that weren’t front and center in the conflict? Following the journey of Orly, a young girl in Vienna from her childhood before the war and traveling with her through her war time experiences and beyond, questions will be raised, but can they ever really be answered? Some friendships may seem destined to last a lifetime, but what happens when religion forces change that literally tears lives apart? Promises made as children might be distant dreams, but sometimes these dreams can keep you sane in the darkness. 

“Exile Music” offers the kind of haunting tale that stays with readers long after the final pages are read. Starting in pre-war Vienna, the story follows Orly as life as she knows it changes beyond recognition. The familiar horror of Nazi Germany is given a fresh perspective as the author heartbreakingly explores stories that generally aren’t thought of; stories of those that might have survived, but at what eventual cost? Although weaved as an excellent work of fiction, it is not hard to imagine that these words could have originated in the pages of a long-lost diary. A beautiful coming of age story with words that will resonate with a warning of events that the world hopes to never face again.

Melanie Newton