Brothers Robert and Attila Beck are 9 and 13 when Russian troops invaded Hungary in 1956. Joseph Kertes wrote a novel about his own life experience. The novel covers the day of the invasion to a few weeks later when the boys and their family arrive in Paris and then leave for Canada by ship. This book must be read. I will now start looking for Joseph Kertes' other books. ( )

3.5 When the Russians arrive in Budapest to stop the Hungarian Revolution, there is much terror and bloodshed. Men hanging from lampposts, shot in the street. Young Robert 9.8 years as he points out and his 13 year old brother Atilla, with their family, leave their home, taking a train to their Great Aunt's house in Paris. Along the way they will meet many different people, experience a family heartbreak and separation, until they finally make it to Paris. Once there family secrets are exposed, setting the boys on an a quest with a horrendous consequences.

This is a hard book for me to review, I have so many mixed feelings, but I did like the boys, the family. Atilla has a strange way of addressing his younger brother, though the boys are very close, it took some getting used too for sure. Robert is our narrator and he tends to follow along with whatever Atilla decides. Atilla, very bright, always asking questions, over hears things and wants clarification, so many questions needing so many answers. For the most part I enjoyed many of the characters, the writing meaningful and concise. There was just one part concerning the greataunt's maid and the boys that I felt was unnecessary and couldn't understand the meaning, why it ever had to be there. Such a strange and to me at least off putting scene.

A good story, humorous at times, with tragic undertones, and a book that highlights the cost of war on one particular family. ( )

This book was picked by the Amnesty Book Club to read in May of 2016. I took me slightly longer to work around to reading it but I am immensely grateful to Amnesty for bringing this book to my attention. The author was born in Hungary and left with his family in 1956 to come to Canada. I knew that many Hungarians had fled their country when the Russian army marched in to quell the Hungarian Revolution against the Soviet-backed government. Wikipedia says 200,000 people left Hungary at that time. This book is about a young Jewish boy and his family who fled the Russian occupiers.

Robert Beck was 9.8 years old when the Russian tanks moved in. He, his brother, Attila, their mother and father and their paternal grandmother together with a cousin and his pregnant wife managed to get away from Budapest into Austria before the borders closed tightly. Prior to leaving though Robert saw men hung in a public square and another man shot through the head, atrocities which made a big impression on the young boy. Then, just after they reached Austria, the pregnant cousin gave birth and died, also right in front of Robert and Attila. These two boys are precocious for their age and extremely curious. There's a great scene where Attila asks a Catholic priest numerous questions about God and religion to the point of rendering the priest speechless. So, in the midst of the horror of displacement, there is humour which relieves the seriousness of the situation. This is not the first time the Beck family has faced danger. During World War II they were put on a train to a death camp but were rescued by their cousin Paul Beck who worked with Raoul Wallenberg to issue Swedish papers to many Jewish Hungarians. During the war Robert's great-aunt Hermina was tortured by the Nazis to force her husband to operate on a Nazi officer. Although fictional these incidents are based upon facts and chill the reader. Robert, who understands most of what is going on but not all, is the perfect narrator as his burgeoning consciousness reflects what outsiders come to learn.

There are some lovely scenes mixed in with the horrific ones plus Robert is endearing in how he views life and interacts with everyone, especially his brother. In the book people are always patting Robert on the head and I know that is exactly what I would do if he was here with me. ( )

robert beck is 9.8yo (he's just learned about decimal points and, apparently, enjoys them). his brother, attila,is 13.7yo. in october of 1956, the hungarian revolution is underway. as the russian army moves in the brothers flee budapest with their family - parents, lili and simon, grandmother klari, uncle andras, and pregnant aunt judit. the family is hoping to make it to paris, where klari's sister hermina lives. while the revolution sets the story in motion, it become clear fairly quickly that there were deep wounds and tragedies endured by this jewish family in WWII. this history is something they are still attempting to escape and forget.

at its heart, though, the afterlife of stars is a story about brothers. robert and attila are very different boys. attila is a 'golden child', blonde and blue-eyed. robert has dark hair and eyes. attila thinks and moves at a frenetic pace. robert is more reserved and observant. both boys are very bright and curious, often wise beyond their years. the boys have witnessed and endured things that children of these ages (children of any age) should never have to encounter. i had a bit of trouble with attila - his voice was peculiar to me and i never quite got into the groove with him. i couldn't decide if he was affected in his mannerisms and behaviours - this is what it felt like to me as i read, but i tried to keep my mind open until i had digested the whole novel. i'm still not sure, though. :/

the supporting characters were interesting too, but i found them thinly developed and under utilized. the parents, grandmother and great-aunt helped bring the family's history to life for the young brothers, but it was a bumpy presentation. combined with attila's insatiable questioning and theorizing, the lovely writing and potentially great story sometimes felt overwhelmed. there was also this very... odd scene that will remind some readers of The Grapes of Wrath, that definitely gave me a 'wait now, what?!' moment. i am still processing that one.

overall, i found that i was quite taken with certain moments in the book. and my heart was definitely aching while reading. kertes has a wonderful style, and offering the story through the voice of a 9.8yo is a compelling way to be shown war, loss and family. i think the novel would make for a good crossover book for mature teenagers. but while i liked the book, there were just to many things niggling at me during the read. i recently read All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr - this novel also uses the perspective of children during war. it was a much stronger novel for me. (sorry -- i don't often compare books to one another. i offer this up more as a suggestion - if you liked this.... you will probably like that.)

for reference: interview with joseph kertes, from the international festival of authors (toronto). ( )