Irma Fritz

Fritz is creative and brilliant with her ambitious first novel that depicts the diverse and multicultural backgrounds of the three women, interspersed with racism, murder and life-altering moments. The heartaches and haunting events that Nora, Ruth and Bettina have witnessed are audaciously portrayed, with no descriptive limits. She does so with an astuteness that is not compromised in any manner.

Fritz has woven a tapestry that is profound and compelling within the pages of Irretrievably Broken. The threads are often filled with extremely taut and dark images. Yet, those images tell the stories of the three primary characters whose lives eventually connect into one foundation. Throughout the varied journeys taken on the road trip (and there are several journeys), one underlying theme is prevalent and strong, that of familial ties.

Irretrievably Broken is a story filled with many layers, and bounces back and forth from America, Canada, and Europe, with skillful prose and word paintings. Depictions of daily life and varied cultural aspects are abundant, and filled with minute details.

Holocaust/Shoah fiction often veers from the intensity and historical depth that occurred during those years of adversity and bleakness. Irretrievably Broken, though, does not sweeten or make light of the Holocaust/Shoah in any aspect. That is the brilliance of Irma Fritz’s writing. She blends a story of love and loss, family and friendship, secrets and unbearable burdens, repentance and forgiveness, and nature and survival with acute, shocking and compelling prose. I am extremely impressed with her excellent novel.… (más)