The Lost / Mendelsohn, Daniel Adam

The author shares the story of his quest to learn the fate of six relatives who died in the Holocaust, telling of his discovery of a cache of letters that chronicled his great uncle Shmiel's desperate attempts to get himself, his wife, and four daughters out of Poland prior to World War II, and discussing the effects of the investigation on his relationships with his family and religion.

The author shares the story of his quest to learn the fate of six relatives who died in the Holocaust, telling of his discovery of a cache of letters that chronicled his great uncle Shmiel's desperate attempts to get himself, his wife, and four daughters out of Poland prior to World War II, and discussing the effects of the investigation on his relationships with his family and religion.

In this narrative, Daniel Mendelsohn searches for his family's tragic past in World War II, and in so doing explores the nature of time, memory, family, and history.