After Long Silence: A Memoir

This book was received on time and in good condition. This was my second try at getting this rare Tepper book so I was glad to get it. My first buy was cancelled and I had to protest to get my money back. It pays to notice the buyers ratings on each seller.

A very different take on a very sad story-you can't help but understand how people survived something so terrible and could only cope with it by just flat out refusing to acknowledge what really happened- after the recent events in the USA where a president refused to stand up to the same feelings they lived through you have to wonder if they were right, it's starting again!

This is the first Sheri Tepper book I ever read, and remains my very favorite. I love the worlds she creates. Loved the idea of giant crystals all over the landscape that will explode if you don't sing to them the right way in order to travel unscathed. I just wish it was on kindle.

I found the book to be interesting and well written, however, I was very put off by the author and her, for some reason, disclose closely guarded family secrets after being asked not to. She probed and kept after her mother to reveal what she had hidden, the person she became, for over 50 years. She even had the audacity to enlighten her cousin when his mother had raised him in the dark thinking she was protecting him. It was just so inappropriate and out of line. Granted, she had some right to know who she was, but where she went wrong, selfishly wrong and self-serving for some reason, was to write and publish this book while her parents and aunt were alive exposing them to friends and the world. Not nice Helen.

I was intrigued by the description of this book, "I didn't even know my mother's real name", and so I borrowed this book from the library to read on my nook.

all in all, it was an interesting read. The book tells of Helen's family & the secrets Helen's parents kept from her and her sister her whole life, until she somehow finds out she's actually Jewish (the book never really explains to my satisfaction exactly how she discovered she was Jewish & that her mother was lying to her). There's also a lot of past / present back and forth in the book which I'm not a huge fan of, but it was also definitely the best way to write this type of book.

The book's pace was a bit slow to me and there are parts that feel repetitive, but I felt the unique nature of this biography offsets the negatives in the book. That being said, why only 3 stars? I feel it was not only cruel, Helen's relentless pursuing of truths her family didn't want revealed, but not only that - she writes a book & publishes it, revealing to the world all of her families dirty secrets. Writing the book I think helped her deal with the truths, which I understand, publishing was still cruel.

Some reviews complain about the skipping back and forth between then and now, but I found it gave depth to the story which is very different from most of these types of books. It is written by the daughter of two survivors and it is really as much her story as theirs. Therefore the "jumping around" was done to bring the two stories together, one reflecting on the other in so many ways. We often don't understand how the broken-ness of some survivors lasted an entire lifetime and is passed down from one generation to the next. I also really enjoyed the writers incredible descriptive style and the way she drew a thread through the past and the present and drew them together. Helen Fremont is a very talented artist. I will look for her again.

Helen and her sister Lara had always known there were things their parents wouldn't discuss about their past. Their parents barely escaped WWII Europe with their lives -- their mother from Poland, and their father from grueling years in a Siberian gulag.

Years later, raised as Polish Catholics in the U.S., Helen and Lara start to ask more questions about their parents' experiences in Europe during the war. The parents' cheerful but persistent subject-changing makes the girls wonder what is being concealed, and they start to search and ask questions of other people who knew their parents during the war. Soon they begin to realize that their parents actually were Jews, disguised as Catholics in order to save their lives. Yet, unlike other similar stories, the Buchmans clung to their frail religious facade as though Hitler were still alive and could yet order their extermination.

The process of the girls' digging and poking and questioning, ripping off the curtains that had concealed 50-year-old horrors, is painful for the Buchman parents, who had buried the memories and never wanted to think of them again. Some of the things that they had had to do to survive were truly horrifying, and others deeply humiliating. Why would the girls want to torture their elderly parents by discovering and discussing - much less publishing - what their parents obviously did not want revealed?

The answer probably partially lies in the second, parallel story of the book -- Helen's eventual pulling back of the curtains and revealing her own homosexuality. Perhaps she felt that by exposing her own private life, she had the right to expose the private lives of her parents.

Whatever the reason, the reader is left with conflicting feelings. One is glad that the girls know their Jewish heritage, but their relentless pursuit of private, embarassing details just seems cruel. Some of the book could not be documented, and could indeed be fiction, although presented as fact. Obviously Helen wanted to come out of the closet, but her elderly parents did NOT want to be outed from their concealed transgressions. Not only did Helen discover her parents' humiliating secrets, but by publishing this book, she broadcast them to the world. As another reviewer said, "She and her sister were raised to be successful, literate individuals by mere mortals who had been to hell and back.. What more can anyone ask?" Indeed. Why ask or expect more?

Be careful Sheri S Tepper fans, this book "After Long Silence" is the same book as "The enigma score". Very confusing and not good practice. Haven't got a clue why they have the same book with different titles but it really annoyed me receiving a book I had already read. Not a lot of integrity there.

Why is this book labeled a "memoir" when it is so clearly and explicitly fiction? Helen Fremont clearly wants a heroic/tragic/pathetic history for her family, all buried in grim silence... so much silence, in fact, that she had to make the entire history up.

Good grief. This book is a waste of both Helen Fremont's considerable storytelling talent and my time.

I read this book mostly because of its "detective" aspect and its story of how the author and her sister researched and learned their true background. As I read it, however, I felt a bit angry at the author because of the attitude she took toward her parents. I can't understand her snide comments about her parents' habits, feelings, etc. For God's sake, they were both prisoners of the Nazis and spent horrible years in their youth. You don't just forget that kind of experience. Yet their own daughter seems curiously lacking in empathy for them, and only able to focus on herself and her own experiences. True that they must have spoiled her rotten. Too bad she spent so much time in the book criticizing them and their lack of openness, inability to talk about their past, etc. She seems like a spoiled brat.

Just found this book, tucked away in our little local library in Vermont. I believe I am (sadly) the first to take it out. It is a most important and most compelling book that many should read. I read it all night. Should be added to the great pile of Holocaust books that need to be read to understand the lasting effects of all the deep god-awful complicated horror. Here's hoping Fremont is doing well and perhaps even writing another book. Thank you for this crucial book.

Call it politics, or call it whatever you want, antisemitism is rife and growing in today's society. The story is important because it underscores people affected by those who follow political or religious zealots, to be one of the "in" group! Immigration into Western Society, most often turns a blind eye and mind to those who over-indulge and bend over to prove they are open-minded to the detriment of all people. These are the ones that are the first line of danger, do-gooders who try to prove they are open-minded and grant evil an open door to undermine the laws and freedoms people died for.

Helen Fremont, raised as Catholic in the Midwest with her sister, learns in her 30s that her parents are Jewish and furthermore are survivors of the Holocaust and the Soviet Gulag. Fremont's tale is about learning and documenting that truth, but more so of getting her parents to admit to it as well. Over the years, the web of lies and subterfuges the parents have woven to protect themselves and their family proves almost too difficult and socially damaging to dismantle. But Helen and her sister persevere.

There are hints in the book that the story Helen tells about her parents and grandparents is mostly reconstructed from clues and fragments. At one point she describes having worked a story over and over in her mind until it had the feel of memory. This lack of hard, documented narrative may put some people off, but I found it to be the only way the extraordinary story of her parents could be told. Helen's parents were in love in Lvov, and separated for years by war and the Soviet justice system. Her mother and her sister waged an epic battle of deception and guile that saved them and sought to save their parents, Helen's grandparents. Helen's father, locked away in the frozen gulag, survives deprivation and a broken body and fights back to find his love and start a new life. Given their hardships, it's no wonder they wanted to bury the past and to hide the grave with lies, obfuscations and deception.

"After Long Silence" is a book that describes how the drumbeat of persecution can reverberate in human lives long after the horror has ceased. It also tells of the hidden cost of secrets. Helen's parent's secrets saved lives, but at the cost of their children's identities and souls. The parents sacrifice is enormous and heart-wrenching; the children's struggle is a titanic battle against the impulse to forget and reinvent in order to stay alive.

Helen's writing is lyrical and compelling. I recall one line about certain strains of "shipwrecked" notes from a violin washing up against her father's ears. "After Long Silence" is gorgeously written -- a testament to the need to know who one is, and where one has come from.

Helen and her sister Lara had Jewish parents; their mother Batya (nee Marmorstein) and their father Kovik Buchman barely survived WWII and the Holocaust. After six grueling years in a Siberian gulag, Kovik escaped. After much suffering under Russian occupation, Ukrainian brutality, and German occupation, Batya escaped with forged documents, changing her name to Maria. They eventually managed to immigrate to the United States to build a new life and start a new family, and eventually settled in the state of Michigan. Motivated by fear of the past, and to protect their offspring from possible persecution as they had experienced as Jews, Helen and Lara's parents decided to conceal their past from their daughters and bring them up as Catholics. However, as the daughters grew up, they suspected that their parents kept secrets about their past history. Lara said once to her sister: "It's about us, about who we are!" Eventually they did find out from their parents' acquaintances (Elsa Sonderling and Mendel Goldberg) that their parents suffered a great deal. That their Mom's parents had been gassed, upon arrival, in Belzec and not killed by a bomb as Mom had told them. At one point, against their parents' wishes, the daughters went to the Ukraine for two weeks with a group of Holocaust survivors to see the home and schools where their parents lived, studied and were persecuted. Consequently, their parents could no longer keep their secrets. Helen and Lara insisted to get answers directly from their parents. Eventually they revealed some of their family's history to their daughters but insisted that Batya's sister, Zosia, should not be aware of that revelation. Zosia married an Italian Catholic and became an Italian countess.
In "After Long Silence," the drumbeat of persecution reverberates long after the horrors of the Holocaust have ceased. It proves that memory is powerful and, in most instances, you can't run away from it. Batya was adamant to conceal her past, her heritage. Still, when the Helen and Lara gave her a Christmas gift, the illustrated book "A Vanished World" by Roman Vishniac, Batya burst into tears. "This is my home; these were my people, our neighbors! (p.104)." In 1992, half a century after the event, Batya told her two grown-up daughters how she and her sister Zosia had been raped by Ukrainians in June 1941, between the Russian and German occupation of Poland. "We were two very close sisters exposed to the same horrible event; one cannot forget it and the other one cannot remember it (p.137)."

As a Holocaust survivor, I know how difficult it is to deal with post-traumatic syndromes. The unhealed hole in my heart doesn't let me forget. An American WWII veteran, being plagued by nightmares, can't forget either. He said to me: "I was an officer in a U.S. battalion that in 1945 had liberated the infamous concentration camp Buchenwald, in Germany. With tearful eyes he said, "Mr. Wiener, for my children and my grandchildren you must have your life story in print." I listened to him and wrote my autobiography "From a Name to a Number." The horrific images are etched in my memory and the physical scars are still visible. My past is always present. Parents keep a lot of secrets from their children. I feel that parents who had suffered the horrors of war have an obligation to share their life story with their children and the children need to hear and listen to their parents' life stories. The terrible effects of war on parents or grandparents is a story that should be passed down to their offspring. Perhaps the new generations will realize how to be more appreciative of peace among nations and peoples; how painful and senseless wars have been.

"After Long Silence" is a brilliantly crafted, gripping memoir. It reflects the effects of the social and psychological disruption on top of the human and physical destruction in WWII. Ms. Fremont has the courage to tell her family's story and her personal story, especially her sexual orientation. Wise are those who learn from everybody and from everything. I wonder why some reviewers deem "After long silence" to be fiction while the Author's Note states, "This is a work of nonfiction." In essence, the author narrates her parents' trauma during the Holocaust and the ramifications of its aftermath. Some people have difficulties believing the unbelievable atrocities perpetrated against so many innocents. I do believe; I was there.

Vintage Tepper. And a lovely piece of work it is.

Jubal, a planet in the process of colonization by humans, is a world full of strange and wonderful things, some amusing, some dangerous. The Presences, large crystalline structures scattered throughout the land, are dangerous, and they are everywhere, preventing easy travel between settlements. They can be passed only with the aid of a Tripsinger, a trained vocalist and musician who accompanies a group of travelers and, in essence, sings the party past the fragile crystal mountains. Each structure requires a different song; the song seems to set up some sort of counter-resonance peculiar to the individual structure that prevents the crystal from fracturing due to the vibrations made by the mules, wagons, and humans as they pass. Even one wrong note could cause a potentially fatal shatter. One structure, called Enigma, has thus far proven impassable: no one has discovered the proper song which will allow safe passage. Except, perhaps, one person.

And then there are those who want to see the Presences destroyed because they hinder free trade and easy commerce. A strange cult which worships the Presences has also arisen. Amid much intra-planetary politics, money grubbing, and, umm, a few alluded-to deviant sex games, the fates of Jubal and the Presences will be decided.

In this early novel, Tepper establishes some of her touchstone themes which she continues to develop in her later work: responsible use of natural resources; religious fanaticism; tolerance of differences; human (and non-human) rights.

Tepper's vivid imagination stands her in good stead here. As a trained vocalist myself, I was intrigued by the notion of literally singing for one's life. How would the knowledge that one wrong note could kill affect the quality of my song? I was captivated by the viggies, small indigenous mammalian-like creatures, who are so much more than they seem. As are the Presences themselves, beautiful and deadly and awe-inspiring.

My only quibble with the story is insufficient information on the cult of the Crystallites. Did they want to preserve the Presences? Or were they allied with those who wished to destroy them? Either I missed it or Tepper never made clear what precisely was their purpose, their agenda. The agenda of the leaders was made quite clear, but not the purpose of the cult they established -- what was the propaganda they preached? At any rate, it's a relatively minor quibble in an otherwise wonderful read.

While surfing about the internet, I discovered this book has an alternate title, The Enigma Score. A rose by any other name, etc. etc. [grin]

I almost didn't finish this book. The horror was so unrelieved, I had to read it in segments and then switch to something less serious before bedtime. I've read a good number of Holocaust accounts but this is by far the most powerful. The twists in the denouement are breathtaking! And this author's skills are excellent; she really does the story justice. I'm so glad I persevered and read to the end. I now have a deeper understanding of yet another facet of individuals' handling of their tragic histories. What a book!

Helen Fremont's book was compelling, and for the most part interesting, but brought up many questions in my mind. At the forefront of my consideration of the book was the issue of Ms. Fremont's lesbian orientation--where I have no problem whatsoever with lesbians, it seemed so discordant to the story of her parents and the Holocaust that it jarred with each reference. The need for "outing" in general is one that I don't understand--personally, whatever orientation one's sexuality might be has no interest or relevance to me. Who cares? But, in particular in this tale of life and death, it palls in comparison of importance--except to Helen.

The second huge question in my mind would be the morality of revealing a history that the parents spent a lifetime concealing. Seemed bordering on cruelty to broadcast it to the world in a book. An action ever so selfish--perhaps healing for Helen, but not helpful to her parents and her aunt, who it seemed to me suffered quite enough.

I would advise friends to read the book, and see what THEIR opinion might be. Would be an interesting book group book, to air the differing opinions that might crop up in that setting. Am sure that many would not agree with me, and it would be fascinating to hear other presentations. I didn't read the other reviews, but will after I post this--rather like a huge book group!

I keep picking up this book and reading it over and over again, it's that good. Yes the author embellished the book with imagined details, but
it serves it purpose. Parents keep a lot of secrets from their children,
and their children do believe what they are told by their parents.
I feel for Helen's parents and aunt for hiding as catholic's to protect their children from the long history of the persecution of the Jews.
Helen's parents probably had survivors guilt, but also still had that fear that they could be taken away at any time.
Helen's quest to find out her past is admirable, but I don't think she handled the whole situation very well. Her sister Lara was working on a project about their family history for college, so I think that is one of the reasons both sisters were motivated to ask their parents about their real past. I think one reason I find this book fastinating is that I am half Norwegian and half Polish, I was raised as a Norwegian Lutheran by my mother when I have Polish/Catholic roots too. My mother told me when I was young not to tell anyone that I am half Polish, so I pretended to be Norwegian/Lutheran for years.
Helen had been keeping her own secret about part of her identity, her sexuality. So, for me her sexuality doesn't take anything away from the story.

This was a really well-told story interweaving a number of different plots--the childhood of the author, her father's experience in Siberia and his later escape from it, her mother's escape from occupied Poland into Italy, her aunt's life in Italy before WWII broke out, her parents' and aunt's childhoods, and events from the present day. Ms. Fremont says in the beginning that she has filled in some gaps in her parents' and aunt's story with imagined details which she feels conveys the emotional truth of those experiences, which kind of seems like authors who make real-life characters be composites of multiple people involved in the story--sure it tells the story, but how well or accurately is another matter.

I'm glad that the author and her older sister found out their true identity (though it's surprising it took till they were in their thirties, given how many obvious clues were out there all throughout their childhoods), and that they found all of their new relatives at the end, people who were able to clue them in on other people in their family tree. What I didn't like how they broke the news to their parents (and later to their aunt, against their mother's stern warnings not to). Many survivors of tragic events, not just the Shoah, hid their true identities for decades, even their entire lives, to protect not just themselves but their children from possible future persecution. Their daughters have no way of knowing what was going inside of their heads to make them make this huge decision, but certainly it wasn't done out of meanness or spite, to purposely keep their future children ignorant of their true history. They had their reasons which they firmly believed in and shouldn't have to explain or justify them to anyone. And the parents and the aunt doubtless reacted so angrily and emotionally to finding out the cat was finally out of the bag because of the way in which the news was conveyed. It's like they didn't think ahead far enough to how these aging survivors might take this shock to the system. Would you angrily confront your mother because, for example, you found out you had been fathered by a rapist and not the man you thought was your father? That's like saying that it doesn't matter why the other party kept this secret; it's all about how you and you alone feel. Zosia, the aunt, said that she was so traumatised by the events of the War that she literally forgot everything that happened before she escaped from Poland and back into Italy to her husband, even forgetting her sister's own name. The mother even mentioned in passing that the day of the Petlura massacre, her period stopped for nine months; it's a wonder her children didn't grill her about that too, asking if she'd been raped and had a child. Haven't these three elderly people been through enough? No wonder they didn't approve of this book.

Some family secrets do need to come out of the closet, and this was certainly one of them, but the subject could have been broached in a way that was more sensitive to what the parents and aunt had suffered through. You may feel better after finding out the truth, but exposing a painful family secret is about everyone involved and thinking ahead to how this might disrupt a formerly happy family inalterably. The parents and aunt didn't even seem to have come to terms with what happened or achieved any sense of closure or inner-peace; indeed, Ms. Fremont reports that now they don't even speak about it anymore, after the initial period when they were telling them what had happened to them.

I am an avid reader and I can honestly say that this is the first book of my life that cries out to be nominated...awarded...a Nobel Peace Prize. It is more than a memoir. It is an epic tale of tragedy, mystery, heroism, romance and identity for all people, of all backgrounds. After all, this discussion of "roots" is primal to every human being.
Although I am not strictly a survivor of the Holocaust (though as a Jew and a member of the Twentieth Century I believe I am) this book got me in touch with my Jewish roots. I believe that my parents were assimilated, and brought their children up to eschew their religion, out of fear. One day, while my brother was studying for his Bar Mitzvah, he kissed the little velvet bag that held his tallus (the Jewish prayer shawl). Our mother was walking by his room, came in, and struck him on the back, scolding, "Don't ever kiss an inanimate object. It's disgusting."
I used to hold this against my mother, who was in her twenties when victims of concentration camps were emerging after the war. Now I believe that she must have been terrified to be Jewish herself, even though she never went through what Helen Fremont's parents did.
I remember some lovely 'Jewish' moments from my childhood - going to the Orthodox shul (synagogue) with my religious, old-world grandparents; celebrating Purim, dressed as Ruth from the Bible; finding the matzoh my grandfather had hidden on Passover, and receiving a dollar for it; leaving the room to open the door for the angel Michael, then returning to find the wine glass mysteriously drained (by the angel, of course).
As we grew up and especially after my grandparents died, we were not encouraged to continue or be identified with these rituals.
Reading Helen Fremont's book has brought them back for me, and made me yearn to know more, to feel that warm, delicious feeling of connection with an ancient past, so rich, so interesting. Her parents should be proud and grateful - she gave them back their past, and she made the reader see them as unbelievably heroic people. They will be forever etched on my mind as magnificent examples of humanity.
Another thing this book has done for me is to give me permission to be open about the book I am writing about a tragic secret in my own family, and my search for meaning.

The degree of suffering endured by this family is unspeakable, and yet, Helen Fremont is able to relay in a riveting and effective manner the events that continued to shape her family after decades had passed. The terrors of the war are difficult to forget for anyone who lived through it, but her parents not only tried to forget but to erase. Helen and Lara were brave to dig up a sense of identity they needed while stepping carefully around their parents' facade constructed for their protection and survival.

With many of Sheri S. Tepper books one can't help but conclude that it is indeed better to travel than to arrive. The scenery and novelties one encounters during her stories are often so enchanting and captivating that they make the final conclusion come as something of a let-down. Often this is because her stories are about the gradual fathoming of some wondrous central mystery--a coming to enlightenment which, with the mystery solved, destroys our sense of wonderment and we discover that much of the beauty was actually in the mystery itself; without the mystery, the fantastic becomes reduced to the commonplace. Alternatively, she tells of the thwarting of some evil but hidden central power (usually one which has been misleading the greater populace for generations). Even there, though, the story remains one of enlightenment: an escape from ignorance to some new understanding and from oppression to freedom in a world remade. As a consequence, most Sheri Tepper stories conclude with the protagonists facing some fresh, uncertain beginning, in a world where either reality--often a plainer, more ordinary albeit less frightening reality--or their perceptions of it have been radically reoriented, with their vision no longer blinkered. Even Tepper's happy endings, therefore, are invariably tinged with sadness and seasoned with no small degree of regret, at least for the reader, as they tell of the passing of the old and rather than finish they leave the tale feeling oddly incomplete as they launch their protagonists into a new unknown.

"After Long Silence" (also published under the title "The Enigma Score" in the UK) is a fairly early Tepper story, dating from 1987 and sadly long out of print. It nevertheless conforms very much to the mold which she has been continuously polishing and refining over the last 25 years.

The planet Jubal is a world of wonders; man-kind has been on it for only a few generations and still knows but a small fraction of those wonders and understands even less about them. Much of Jubal's terrain is dominated by mysterious, massive crystalline Presences which resonate strangely. Extremely sensitive to sound and to other vibrations, they erupt violently and unpredictably if approached, killing any who come close without taking adequate precautions. Human habitation on the planet is confined to Deepsoil pockets, well away from the Presences and shielded from their roots by the depth of soil, and travel between these is only possible for quietly-shod mule caravans, accompanied by an appropriate party of Tripsingers, armed with their portable synthesisers. Tripsingers are members of a quasi-religious order, who spend a long apprenticeship learning the complex musical Passwords necessary to prevent the Presences from reacting violently to movement and sound, and thus assure safe passage. The planet's entire economy is based on the production and the shipping off-world of the narcotic plant Brou, which grows only on Jubal. That economy is controlled by Brou Distribution Ltd, under the personal control of Planetary Manager, Harward Justin, whose greedy and perverse designs for the planet are currently held in check only by the Planetary Exploitation Council.

Anyone who has read any number of Sheri Tepper books will recognise most of her prime ingredients here--the issues of environmental preservation versus corporate greed and the value of beauty versus the acquisition of material possessions being paramount, of course. As usual, there is more than a reasonable smattering of corruption in high places, which together with the abuse of human rights and violent and sexual perversions of the book's almost comic-book villains, makes for many candidates in need of a major comeuppance. The book's characters are as well fleshed-out as Tepper's ever are, although her descriptions of the wonders of Jubal, whilst enticing, are nevertheless nothing like as vivid (nor as positively spine-tingling) as she manages in her later fantasy novels, such as "Grass" or "The Awakeners". Overall, the writing generally lacks the potency and power of her mature works such as "The Fresco" or "The Visitor". Nevertheless, much of the book is beguiling, with the action moving along at a great pace, with a great number of intriguing twists and turns, as well as a positive welter of colourful characters encountered along the way. One quickly comes to despise BDL and all its cronies, while yearning to know more of the life of both Explorers and Tripsingers, risking all amongst the Presences on nothing more than the depth of their intuition and the strength of the music-making. And indeed to have the opportunity for oneself to witness the spectacle of Gyre-birds dancing in the sky above towering mountains of glittering crystal, or to lie beneath the stars and listen to the tremulous night-singing of the viggies.

In summary then: "After Long Silence" is a powerful and evocative novel from one of the greatest exponents of the political fantasy genre. It is not always as finely crafted as some of her books but is not really any less enjoyable for all of that. It is well worth hunting to find a copy.

It's not until Helen Fremont is an adult that she discovers that her Polish parents, whom she always believed were Catholic, were in fact both Jewish by birth. Because surviving World War II had been so difficult for them, neither wanted to share details of their past with Helen or her sister Lara until the daughters started researching family history for themselves.
AFTER LONG SILENCE is a fascinating story of survival against great odds, yet the focus of the story keeps coming back to the author and her sister. Throughout the heartbreaking story of Helen's family, it somehow seems as if it's told through the eyes of the author instead the mother. Much of the historical context is missing, such as a thorough description of the town in which her parents lived, a closer look at extended family and friends, and a clearer picture of wartime atrocities. It's agonizing to realize the extent to which Helen's parents, at first very unwillingly, had to open up to share their
painful past with her. It's also disturbing for the reader to learn that the book is about family secrets rather than a clear picture of one family's history. Nevertheless, as a gripping saga of survival in World War II Poland, this book should be read to learn of yet another way one particular family was able to get through a most gruesome time in recent history.

With many of Sheri S. Tepper books one can't help but conclude that it is indeed better to travel than to arrive. The scenery and novelties one encounters during her stories are often so enchanting and captivating that they make the final conclusion come as something of a let-down. Often this is because her stories are about the gradual fathoming of some wondrous central mystery--a coming to enlightenment which, with the mystery solved, destroys our sense of wonderment and we discover that much of the beauty was actually in the mystery itself; without the mystery, the fantastic becomes reduced to the commonplace. Alternatively, she tells of the thwarting of some evil but hidden central power (usually one which has been misleading the greater populace for generations). Even there, though, the story remains one of enlightenment: an escape from ignorance to some new understanding and from oppression to freedom in a world remade. As a consequence, most Sheri Tepper stories conclude with the protagonists facing some fresh, uncertain beginning, in a world where either reality--often a plainer, more ordinary albeit less frightening reality--or their perceptions of it have been radically reoriented, with their vision no longer blinkered. Even Tepper's happy endings, therefore, are invariably tinged with sadness and seasoned with no small degree of regret, at least for the reader, as they tell of the passing of the old and rather than finish they leave the tale feeling oddly incomplete as they launch their protagonists into a new unknown.

"After Long Silence" (also published under the title "The Enigma Score" in the UK) is a fairly early Tepper story, dating from 1987 and sadly long out of print. It nevertheless conforms very much to the mold which she has been continuously polishing and refining over the last 25 years.

The planet Jubal is a world of wonders; man-kind has been on it for only a few generations and still knows but a small fraction of those wonders and understands even less about them. Much of Jubal's terrain is dominated by mysterious, massive crystalline Presences which resonate strangely. Extremely sensitive to sound and to other vibrations, they erupt violently and unpredictably if approached, killing any who come close without taking adequate precautions. Human habitation on the planet is confined to Deepsoil pockets, well away from the Presences and shielded from their roots by the depth of soil, and travel between these is only possible for quietly-shod mule caravans, accompanied by an appropriate party of Tripsingers, armed with their portable synthesisers. Tripsingers are members of a quasi-religious order, who spend a long apprenticeship learning the complex musical Passwords necessary to prevent the Presences from reacting violently to movement and sound, and thus assure safe passage. The planet's entire economy is based on the production and the shipping off-world of the narcotic plant Brou, which grows only on Jubal. That economy is controlled by Brou Distribution Ltd, under the personal control of Planetary Manager, Harward Justin, whose greedy and perverse designs for the planet are currently held in check only by the Planetary Exploitation Council.

Anyone who has read any number of Sheri Tepper books will recognise most of her prime ingredients here--the issues of environmental preservation versus corporate greed and the value of beauty versus the acquisition of material possessions being paramount, of course. As usual, there is more than a reasonable smattering of corruption in high places, which together with the abuse of human rights and violent and sexual perversions of the book's almost comic-book villains, makes for many candidates in need of a major comeuppance. The book's characters are as well fleshed-out as Tepper's ever are, although her descriptions of the wonders of Jubal, whilst enticing, are nevertheless nothing like as vivid (nor as positively spine-tingling) as she manages in her later fantasy novels, such as "Grass" or "The Awakeners". Overall, the writing generally lacks the potency and power of her mature works such as "The Fresco" or "The Visitor". Nevertheless, much of the book is beguiling, with the action moving along at a great pace, with a great number of intriguing twists and turns, as well as a positive welter of colourful characters encountered along the way. One quickly comes to despise BDL and all its cronies, while yearning to know more of the life of both Explorers and Tripsingers, risking all amongst the Presences on nothing more than the depth of their intuition and the strength of the music-making. And indeed to have the opportunity for oneself to witness the spectacle of Gyre-birds dancing in the sky above towering mountains of glittering crystal, or to lie beneath the stars and listen to the tremulous night-singing of the viggies.

In summary then: "After Long Silence" is a powerful and evocative novel from one of the greatest exponents of the political fantasy genre. It is not always as finely crafted as some of her books but is not really any less enjoyable for all of that. It is well worth hunting to find a copy.

With many of Sheri S. Tepper books one can't help but conclude that it is indeed better to travel than to arrive. The scenery and novelties one encounters during her stories are often so enchanting and captivating that they make the final conclusion come as something of a let-down. Often this is because her stories are about the gradual fathoming of some wondrous central mystery--a coming to enlightenment which, with the mystery solved, destroys our sense of wonderment and we discover that much of the beauty was actually in the mystery itself; without the mystery, the fantastic becomes reduced to the commonplace. Alternatively, she tells of the thwarting of some evil but hidden central power (usually one which has been misleading the greater populace for generations). Even there, though, the story remains one of enlightenment: an escape from ignorance to some new understanding and from oppression to freedom in a world remade. As a consequence, most Sheri Tepper stories conclude with the protagonists facing some fresh, uncertain beginning, in a world where either reality--often a plainer, more ordinary albeit less frightening reality--or their perceptions of it have been radically reoriented, with their vision no longer blinkered. Even Tepper's happy endings, therefore, are invariably tinged with sadness and seasoned with no small degree of regret, at least for the reader, as they tell of the passing of the old and rather than finish they leave the tale feeling oddly incomplete as they launch their protagonists into a new unknown.

"After Long Silence" (also published under the title "The Enigma Score" in the UK) is a fairly early Tepper story, dating from 1987 and sadly long out of print. It nevertheless conforms very much to the mold which she has been continuously polishing and refining over the last 25 years.

The planet Jubal is a world of wonders; man-kind has been on it for only a few generations and still knows but a small fraction of those wonders and understands even less about them. Much of Jubal's terrain is dominated by mysterious, massive crystalline Presences which resonate strangely. Extremely sensitive to sound and to other vibrations, they erupt violently and unpredictably if approached, killing any who come close without taking adequate precautions. Human habitation on the planet is confined to Deepsoil pockets, well away from the Presences and shielded from their roots by the depth of soil, and travel between these is only possible for quietly-shod mule caravans, accompanied by an appropriate party of Tripsingers, armed with their portable synthesisers. Tripsingers are members of a quasi-religious order, who spend a long apprenticeship learning the complex musical Passwords necessary to prevent the Presences from reacting violently to movement and sound, and thus assure safe passage. The planet's entire economy is based on the production and the shipping off-world of the narcotic plant Brou, which grows only on Jubal. That economy is controlled by Brou Distribution Ltd, under the personal control of Planetary Manager, Harward Justin, whose greedy and perverse designs for the planet are currently held in check only by the Planetary Exploitation Council.

Anyone who has read any number of Sheri Tepper books will recognise most of her prime ingredients here--the issues of environmental preservation versus corporate greed and the value of beauty versus the acquisition of material possessions being paramount, of course. As usual, there is more than a reasonable smattering of corruption in high places, which together with the abuse of human rights and violent and sexual perversions of the book's almost comic-book villains, makes for many candidates in need of a major comeuppance. The book's characters are as well fleshed-out as Tepper's ever are, although her descriptions of the wonders of Jubal, whilst enticing, are nevertheless nothing like as vivid (nor as positively spine-tingling) as she manages in her later fantasy novels, such as "Grass" or "The Awakeners". Overall, the writing generally lacks the potency and power of her mature works such as "The Fresco" or "The Visitor". Nevertheless, much of the book is beguiling, with the action moving along at a great pace, with a great number of intriguing twists and turns, as well as a positive welter of colourful characters encountered along the way. One quickly comes to despise BDL and all its cronies, while yearning to know more of the life of both Explorers and Tripsingers, risking all amongst the Presences on nothing more than the depth of their intuition and the strength of the music-making. And indeed to have the opportunity for oneself to witness the spectacle of Gyre-birds dancing in the sky above towering mountains of glittering crystal, or to lie beneath the stars and listen to the tremulous night-singing of the viggies.

In summary then: "After Long Silence" is a powerful and evocative novel from one of the greatest exponents of the political fantasy genre. It is not always as finely crafted as some of her books but is not really any less enjoyable for all of that. It is well worth hunting to find a copy.

I could not put this book down for several reasons. My father's experience was much the same as the author's father. My father was born and raised in Lvov and was conscripted into the Russian army shortly before the Russians evacuated. He left behind five siblings, his parents and a family of 200 people. They were all murdered at Belzec.
What particularly intrigued me was her father's life in the gulag. My father was also incarcerated in a place called Aktubinsk in Middle Asia and shared many of the experiences described in the book. I know that what Ms. Fremont is describing is truthful because it is the same as was described to me by my father. He also acknowledged that although the camp was hell, he probably would not have survived had he remained in Lvov.
The description of the pogram on Petlura Day had me in tears. I can only assume that my family endured that horror also.
I can understand some of the criticism leveled at the book by those who are not the children of survivors. Growing up as the child of survivors is not the same as growing up in a "normal" household. Even if parents are not reticent, as mine were not, there are certain boundaries past which you do not wander. You do not need to be told not to ask; you just know.
I do not think that one can compare Ms. Fremont's discretion with respect to her friends and her "outing" of her parents. Ms. Fremont's parents, I'm certain with the best of intentions, denied her her heritage. This denial is part of the heitage that scars the first generation of survivors' children. I'm sure that a variation of these scars will be handed down to our children. Never knowing your grandparents, your aunts, your uncles or you cousins but knowing that they once existed and were murdered for no reason, gives a perspective that cannot be understood unless you've actually experienced it. I know for a fact that Ms. Fremont is not the only first generation child who has tested herself with hunger or cold. I've done it myself. It gives you a different scale on which to measure life. It also makes you stronger.

[...]

I read footnotes, endnotes, side bars, acknowledgements, etc., of books. I read these for two reasons, 1) I am a compulsive completer and 2) you find great presents at the end of rabbit trails. After Long Silence was such a present after reading another book on passing inside of one group membership over another. The side note seemed interesting so I added Fremont's book to my wish list and am SO glad I did.

Helen Fremont wanted to come out to her mother as a lesbian, but something didn't seem right. She and her sister grew up in an Roman Catholic family full of unspoken stories, incongruent timelines, and cultural norms that differed greatly from their neighbors. Together they decide as adults to research the stories and uncover the truth motivated by wanting to know more about their own truth and identities. To know your own truth is priceless and the journey to find it can be as shocking as it is unexpected. After Long Silence is perfectly titled and pulls back multiple layers of sisters, daughters, mothers, and women surviving the odds. I literally couldn't put this book down. I tried and found myself still replaying the crystal clear scenes that I turned my lamp back on and finished the journey with some of the strongest women I have ever met.

As part of full disclosure, my mother died almost 20 years ago. There is a lot about her that I didn't get to know and some of those pieces uncovered themselves through other family members and friends over the last decade. I too identified with the author's need to have everything out in the open regarding her own sexual identity, and coming out against assumptions from one's parents. Furthermore, I have been surrounded by strong women who seemed to overcome difficult odds and instead of celebrating success -- dismissing the accomplishment as just what needed to be done. I feel like I get it and that this book directly tapped into my ongoing relationship with my mother, grandmother, and other strong women, living or after death.
Fremont uncovers what she calls the "invented lives" her parents developed after surviving and escaping the Holocaust. She pieces together from legal names, Jewish heritage, family roots, that were both deleted for survival and the little remnants like favorite foods, songs, pet names, etc., that flush out one of the most amazing stories I have ever read. I am still chilled with the image of a woman walking the fine line between tanks and passing as a German and as not threatening to survive a friend being shot point blank range for not responding to a Nazi's remark appropriately. This sends me immediately to another story involving Italian royalty and decadent cookies and tea. At any point, Fremont and her sister, not to mention her mother, father, and aunt, could have called it quits. The price of truth and being true to oneself and those that you care for is the underlying motivation that keeps the family alive, research digging, and me turning the pages.
Please take a moment to know that there is so much we don't know about one another's struggle. You can't ever fully know the story of the person anonymously sitting next to you on a plane, standing in front of you in line, working a customer service job when you are seeking assistance, or even sitting across from you at your own dinner table. Do you know all of the truth about yourself? This beautiful book is full of tear jerkers, laughter, and emotional roller coasters like a best seller fiction novel. After Long Silence is a National Bestseller and terrifyingly and amazingly true.

Jessica Pettitt is the "diversity educator" your family warned you about. Through teaching, writing, and facilitating tough conversations, she has figured out how to BE the change she wants to BE. Now it is your turn!
As she travels around the country, you can catch up with Jessica on:


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"Helen, it's true. Our grandparents were Jewish. We're Jewish." With these words, Helen Fremont begins to unravel the secret lives of her parents, holocaust survivors who escaped Europe, leaving behind their entire identities, families, and terrifying experiences under Nazi German occupation. This memoir is more than a revelation about one woman's heritage. By revealing her own family story, Fremont unveils an astonishing depth to human capacity for reinvention. Survivors live among us, and they have survived only by walking away from themselves and creating something new and a little bit hollow: Americans who embrace the New World just a little too fiercely. I was so blown away by the writing, the story, and the pathos of this family's secrets that it took me days to recover. Well worth the time and sadness for the insights gained. This memoir changed my understanding of the world, the way the best books do.

Helen Fremont's "After Long Silence" is a study in contrasts; written in clear, unexaggerated prose, it tells of story of secrets, an opaque tale of muddled identities and long-repressed memories. Without meaning to, perhaps she has captured a significant difference between life in the U.S. and the old European culture. Here, if one does not practice Catholicism, often one is not labeled a Catholic. In addition to the tale of her parents' struggles, some puzzling tales of her own American life emerge: How could she go through religious instruction, and specifically the preparation for First Communion, and not question her parents' attitude, that communion is not an important part of the mass? Any child who is preparing for First Communion will be able to tell you that communion is the heart of the mass....Perhaps this reinforces an underlying theme of her book: She has been held captive in the tight knot of her family's past, and only by finding the truth of the events that shaped her parents' life, can she become free to be herself.

After finishing this book, I really couldn't help but wonder why exactly the author wrote it. First and foremost, I thought, she wrote it for herself, as a sort of therapy. At points she offers that she has opened up a bag full of deeply held family secrets so that the ENTIRE family could confront who it is and where its roots lie, but I still couldn't help thinking that as the author's aunt (Zosia is the aunt's name in the book) says to her, "You are obsessed with the Holocaust." Now, this isn't a terrible thing to be obsessed with, really. I, myself, have done a lot of research on the topic. But, this author goes further with this other strange obsession that stems from the fact that through her research she finds out her entire lineage is Jewish, and NOT in fact Catholic (as she was raised to believe).
The author's Polish parents have raised her as a Catholic, albeit, a rather weird Catholic who isn't supposed to take communion and has to sit in the back pew with the family. The family is not overly religious and by the time the author is 8, she doesn't even have to go to mass on Sunday and stays home to watch The NFL Today instead.
But in their early thirties, the author and her sister realize, through some fairly thorough research, that their parents are actually Jewish and lived through a great number of atrocities during the Holocaust. And I must say that Helen Fremont gives a rather moving picture, and a descriptive account of her parent's and her aunt's lives during WWII based on her research and discussions she has with her parents after finding out about their past.
The sad part of the book is that she feels such a need to dig into her parent's pained hearts. Her mother, her father and her aunt had put the unbearable pain they suffered during that time away and most likely didn't want to relive it. Oddly, but somewhat understandly they chose to raise their children with the understanding that while they had lived through the Holocaust in Poland, they had only lived it as Catholic onlookers and NOT as the Jews that they actually were. But, the author and her sister feel this burning need to dig deeper, and deeper and display the family's secrets, to reach into their family's recesses and pull out horrendously painful memories. It made me wonder if she wasn't just doing it for the same reason that a motorist slows down on the highway to view a car accident. But, perhaps I am ignorant in this respect - maybe, she REALLY needed to know that she was Jewish and her family was one made up of Holocaust survivors so that she could understand herself more clearly (but I can't help but feel that she dug too deeply, hurt her family in the long run just so she could display to everyone what she found out about herself).
Ultimately, however, I found it a good read (except for some of her own musings about herself, which didn't seem to add much to the story)because of the detail she added and the way she was able to draw you into her family's lives in Europe during WWII. I only wonder: what was her motive?

Like Helen Fremont, my parents are also Jewish Holocaust Survivors. However, unlike her, my parents never hid their past. Even with our differences, she does a remarkable job of showing something most children of survivors have in common - how truly difficult it is to "ask" our parents about their past; I label it "a difficult dance" - we, as their children, feel we must know about their past, but we don't want to hurt them by making them spill their guts about the utter inhumantiy they lived through. This is a difficult topic to capture, but Fremont did it magnificently. I also felt tremendous sympathy for her. I truly understand how she felt. The incredible "jolt" (and this is putting it mildly) when she learned her real identity is probably one of the hardest things she has ever had to live through. I hope that committing her story to paper, in the moving way that she did, will help her resolve her background. She should be commended for opening her life to the rest of us.

This is a very interesting memoir of Jewish holocaust survivors who bring up their children as Catholics, hiding from them their Jewish heritage. As the children grow up, they begin to suspect they are Jews and try to piece together the story of their parents' lives.

The book is poignant and painful. The stillness and guardedness of the parents' inner world is like the silence of blue in a glacier - and as chilling. It is a great portrait of survivors' guilt and motivation by fear of the past.

My father is a child survivor of a Japanese concentration camp on Java during World War II when Indonesia was still a Dutch Colony. My father's father starved to death in a forced Mitzubishi tin mine labor camp outside of Tokyo in 1942. I grew up similar to Ms. Fremont, hearing these mythic stories of war and dealing with the unknown mystery of post traumatic stress that the war imposed. I was always fascinated by my father's story and needed to know more. For me to read Ms. Fremont's astounding literary work of art was truly healing and powerful. I connected with her amazing words as if she were sharing with me like a sister that which most people cannot comprehend - the terrible effects of war and how it is passed down for generations. Reading her work helped me make sense of my own childhood and realize how important telling these stories is. The similarities of our childhood dealing with our parents was astounding - hearing the stories, dealing with the post-traumatic stress, the depression, upset and wanting to forget. I too was amazed to find out that we do repeat our family's stress and survival, as Ms. Fremont did with her own life, and I do with mine. I also was astounded to find out as an adult that my paternal grandfather was Jewish, and that my maiden name of Straub was Jewish. Things I never knew yet were essential to my understanding of the mystery of our lives. I believe these forces are unconsciously driven because of the events, unresolved grief and the intense need to find our place and identity in them when we are so obviously different from our peers around us. There is this powerful need to tell the story, find ourselves in it and make meaning out of it and have it witnessed. There was the similarities of food and starvation, gold and survival, unspeakable brutality and terrible loss, unspeakable loss. For I remember asking my aunts about their version of the camps and refused to speak where my father was copious in the narrative. I think this is one of the most important books and should be required reading for teenagers, so that we do not forget, as our country has and now dumps out thousands of fresh vets traumatized by America's numerous wars only to have its horrors visited upon their children for generations to come. New kids are living with parents who suffered the horrors of war and are trying to make sense of it and searching for a guide. This book is it. Let us not forget. Let us read Ms. Fremont's courageous and brilliant work and raise our voices to tell our stories, to end war, brutality and evil in the name of children and healing. May we all have the courage to tell our stories as Ms. Fremont did. Brilliant. Brava. Thank you so much.

Helen Fremont's "After a Long Silence" (New York, Delacorte, 1999) reads
like fiction, like a thriller, like a melodrama written for conversion into
a screenplay. But it is not fiction. It is the story of two daughters' slow
realization that their "Roman Catholic" parents, who always left Mass
before Communion, were really Jewish.
The father was a physician in Lvov who ended up in the Gulag, where he allbut lost the use of one arm..
The mother was smuggled out of Poland to Italy dressed as an Italian
soldier to join her sister in Rome (who was married to an Italian
aristocrat and pretended Catholicism).
But, to protect the "Italian" sister, the mother went into complete denial.
She denied her Jewishness, denied that Helen Fremont, a Boston lawyer, was a lesbian, denied her entire life.
Helen and her sister Lara went about proving all the falsehooods quite
methodically. And in their voyage of discovery they slowly learned not only their parents' secrets but also came to understand why the "Italian" aunt spoke Hebrew, vacationed in Israel alone, and was a staunch opponent of Holocaust deniers.
All this being said, there are flaws in the book, based partly on the
failure of American schools to teach geography and to teach history.
In one section of the book, the mother is smuggled out of "Yugoslavia" into Italy (during the war). Once again, my research into writing my own novel, "Comrades, Avenge Us," enters the scene.
Yugoslavia was invaded in 1941 by the Germans after Yugoslav nationalists broke the pact with the Axis that had been signed by the Yugoslav government. The Germans and Italians immediately partitioned Yugoslavia. At the time the mother was moving from "Yugoslavia" to "Italy," the area she crossed was part of the Third Reich (Slovenia became Oberkrain, Upper Carniola, a part of the "German" province of Carinthia). So she was not in Yugoslavia at all.
This makes the imagined border crossing totally unbelievable.
She crossed to Postumia (site of the world-renowned caverns), which is just outside Trieste, but which Helen Fremont somehow thinks is high in the Alps and covered in deep snows. In fact, it rarely snows in Postumia.
There are other instances of such egregious errors, but they do not detract from the basic story of denial and rediscovery.

Helen Fremont discovers that she's not Catholic, as she'd been raised, but Jewish. As she explores the secrets within her family, explores her parents' experience as Jews in Poland during WWII, and unfolds their history--her history--she also explores and discovers herself and the secrets she's held onto.
After Long Silence is page-turning exploration of the tangled dynamics of one family, but it's also a book about strength of spirit and survival. Helen Fremont pens a story that will stay with you long after you've finished the last page.

(yes, I meant the pun in the title. read the book, re-read my review, it'll seem funnier. really.)
Tepper, when asked why so many of her stories had small furry creatures who sing in them, said 'Cats singing on my desk as I work.'
I read this book when I was 15, and I have to admit, it was a helpful thing to learn; that everyone remembers things differently, and only by pooling our stories can we possibly attempt to reach the truth.
The book is a little slow to start; revealment is layered, and occasionally could be sped up a little. Additionally, like many of Tepper's early books, the bad guys is bad. Her more recent bad guys tend to have a little more depth.

The story was interesting for the first 100 pages or so and then it began to drag. 50 pages on I tired and did not think it worth my time to read the rest. The movement from present to past grated on me. The movement from one relative to another and back again also was confusing.

As the son of a survivor, I read this book differently than most. I understand the author's parents need for silence. I also understand the destructiveness of it on the survivors and their children. Ms. Fremont has created a wonderful framework for the telling of HER story.
Those who read this just for the story of her parents are missing the point of writing the book. The silence of her parents - like many survivors of the Shoa - cannot be completely broken, so admittedly the author `fills in' or `imagines' details so painful that her parents are unable or unwilling to remember.
This novel is an exploration into the author's movement OUT OF SILENCE. She skillfully represents this personal growth by sharing with the reader her journey into her family's and her own past. It is during this journey as she questions why her parents kept so silent that she puts herself to the ultimate test and breaks her own conspiracy of silence to her parents and family about her sexual orientation. Bravely she works to stop all the silences of her family - silence of Shoa experiences, silences of avoiding one's true identity - so that they may no longer live in the shadow that silence casts.
The book is to be applauded as a journey to self truth. A journey we are always on and must always work at.
Read the book as a tool to remove your own silences.

As I read some of the other reviews in this section, I couldn't help but wonder if I had read the same book. Fremont is a beautiful and gifted writer with a true sense of her craft. I had just finished the book when I turned to the reviews here, and was surprised by several of the lukewarm responses. It seems that those responses evolve mainly from 1) the readers' discomfort with the blur between so-called fact and so-called fiction; 2) the writer's own involvement in the story; and 3) the writer's revelation of herself as a lesbian. All of these, however, are what made the story so moving and rich for me. First of all, can we be so naive as to think that we can ever completely fill in the past with pure "facts?" Think of what happened to Zosia in her lifetime: she was obviously traumatized into forgetting, and thus her story, not remembered, almost became a big gap in the larger construction we call "history," until Fremont revived that story, and breathed life into it as well. Besides, what are memoir and history if NOT presentation, performance, and construction? No one author/historian/memoirist knows all facts, and authors choose to include some material and omit other material for a variety of reasons, oftentimes as a result of unconscious (or conscious) bias. Our only hope is that people like Fremont come along and reconstruct the stories and fill in the gaps with lost voices and narratives. Her use of fictional techniques allow us a three-dimensional look at particular people, times, places, and actions. As far as the ethics of "outing" her parents go, I hardly think Fremont does not struggle with this throughout her story. I think she writes about them with respect and tenderness. However, as she says about her father at one point, it is HIS story too, and so, by the same token, it is Fremont's as well. This is, after all, very much an autobiography and which one of us can construct our lives separate from our family's? We live and build our lives in relation to others and those relationships form us. So, of course, Fremont had to, and had every right to, find out about her parents' lives. I think, yes, the question of ethics enters into this and that is a question I hope we keep trying to address. It is also a question that adds a deeper dimension to this work. As far as some reviewer's disdain of Fremont's disclosure of herself as a lesbian, all I can say is: GOOD GRIEF!!!! Of course this is pertinent to the story! Quite frankly, I am tired of folks who cannot see the violence done to gays and lesbians who may feel compelled to conceal their identity for fear of bigotry and physical harm. Fremont's need to "come out" to her family parallels her cracking open of secrets in her family's lives. It is a prime example of the kind of identity concealment and hidden existence that she pinpoints in her family. The connection is so clear to me, I cannot help but wonder if there is (albeit unconsciously, perhaps) a homophobic element to these responses. And once more it's important to remember that this is a memoir as much about the author and her journey towards identity as it is about the author's parents. In short, this is a first-rate book that honors rather than disparages the author's family. Do not deprive yourself of THIS one! A good and textured "read" from beginning to end....

This is a fascinating book. As for accuracy, this book is creative non-fiction and does not matter if it is accurate according to history-- but rather what does a person remember happening?
The silence surrounding the whole idea of who the author is devastating, and how it ties into her own identity of how she is a lesbian is even more interesting. The parent's silence about who they are is sadly enough, understandable, if not damaging to their children who suspect for years that something is not right.
As one person wrote previously, why did the author write this? This subject of silence and suppresion of one's own identity is certainly a far-reaching theme and one that most everyone could relate to. Why does anyone write, for that matter? She tells a fascinating, tragic, and beautiful story and I certainly don't think she needs a reason to share it.

Helen Fremont and her sister Lara had a typical post-War childhood. Raised Catholic, their lives were not unlike so many others recovering from the war. Or were they? As the girls grew they began to ask questions. What happened to their grandparents? What happened to their father's arm? Why were so many of their friends Jewish? They became driven to understand their history and themselves.
"After Long Silence" is a remarkably well-written, compelling story. The author takes us with her, into her own life and that of her parents and aunt. Through her writing we come to know that what she seeks -- what we seek -- is unknowable.
Three times through the course of the book I found myself stunned by the impact of simple dramatic moments. Not the excitement of escape or the fear in hiding, but moments of realization that we will always be outsiders, always removed from the depth of the truth. We can never understand.
The characters in this true story create an impenetrable armor, each in their own way, revealing only what is needed, leaving the reader to wonder just what we still don't know.
Best book I've read this year. The author has a gift for descriptive language -- I hope to read more true stories from her. Highly recommended.

Hi. Actually I really wanted to email the author after reading this, I am truly saddened that she did not give any contact information. At the end of this book, she has become such a friend, you know her thoughts and feelings, and share her bewilderment and pain. Being such an objective narrator, we learn so much about her parents and sister, and are able to make our own judgements. The one thing that is so amazing is that this is a story told through learnt bits and pieces, from survivors of whom it is too painful to cut into the details, in order to maintain their sanity and sense of well-being they must only touch the surface. It is like they will break if it is cracked. We can't begin to imagine what has not been told. It was hard for me to connect with what it is like to kind of be lost in your sense of past and family and self, but anybody I think can emphasize with the dysfunctional conversations that encompass our everyday life (i.e. her parents reactions to their fighting).

A heart rending as well as hopeful book about the search for truth, identity, and family. The story of Ms. Fremont's parents, her search and research, is a triumphant achievement. Clearly a courageous daughter of courageous parents. I empathize and identify in so many ways as I am researching my own ancestry. Part of being human seems to be this yearning to know where we come from so we can better understand who we are, heal the past, and get on with life.

Helen Fremont did a superb job of telling the story of her parents' secret past. Memoir is my favorite genre. However, few have held my attention as well as After Long Silence. I have read it three times. It really is that good.

This is a stunning memoir that works on many levels simultaneously and interweaves the past with the present to unforgettable effect. Fremont tells the harrowing story of her own parents' survival, and, along the way, tells her own story as well. She does both with love, humor, and some of the most exquisite writing I've seen. I found it absolutely riveting and simply could not put it down. Highly recommended.

Imagine as a young adult, passionately involved in your career, you start pulling away the pieces of the facade your parents had created to protect you and your sister fom the truth about your own family. Like pulling a thread and unravelling your entire wardrobe to show your nakedness, Helen Fremont knew whe was dealing with sensitive, even explosive issues, but he could not stop pulling that thread.
What she has done with this remarkable memoir is show her family's roots and branches in ways she never knew existed before she and her sister began discussing the "What if's?" It is a moving story packed with complicated relationships and the true history of her parents' lives and the terrors they went through during the Holocaust era in Europe. You finish the book wondering how such a powerful story could be supressed, and cheering for Helen Fremont for unearthing it. As with so many memoirs, you are also left wondering, "where are they now?" and hoping for a sequel.

This book is captivating; I could not put it down. One of the best books I've read in a while. After Long Silence is engrossing, fascinating, turbulent, and hopeful. Helen's writing style is excellent, clear, and vivid. Some of the things that happen in the story are so awful or so miraculous, that they sound like something out of a work of fiction! Highly recommended!

From Back Cover:

The Presences mean something different to each of Jubal's colonists. In some, these towering crystals inspire awe, in others fear. A small bank must break through the long silence between humanity and the Presences to strike a new alliance - and bring about the end of a tyranical dynasty.

This book's cover caught my eye in the bookstore as well as its description. It took awhile to get good unfortunately. The author seems uncomfortable in the first few chapters, it doesn't flow. for example, she uses the detailed description of food during important conversations with her parents...it was distracting & annoying! Enough with the milk swirling in the coffee, the turkey juices sputtering out of the turkey...get to the point! I almost gave up on the book. Once the family's history began to be unfold, I couldn't put it down--it was like a whole different book. But I was disappointed as I kept flipping through to look for photos! Where are they...I wanted to piece together the puzzle pieces visually. In perhaps protection of family, there are none! Doesn't this conflict with the whole coming out in the first place. I wanted to know more about the haunting photo on the front cover, I felt ripped off. There is one photo of Ms. Fremont hiding towards the back, she looks as uncomfortable as the writing about herself that appears randomly in the book, most predominantly in the first few chapters. Her outing as a lesbian seemed like it should be a whole other book. The family history part is very good...you will feel great sympathy for what they've gone through & a little guilty that the author outed them all...The author told an exciting,vivid tale of her parents' struggles to survive the war and the attempted extermination of their people/heritage.

The story was excellent - it was engaging - I couldn't put it down. Why, oh why, Ms. Fremont did you have to use this medium to come out of the closet? I don't care if you're a homosexual - I'm neither pro-gay or anti-gay.
It was the wrong place. I wonder if that is why your parents "did not approve of [your] book . . . 'After what they went through . . . .'" (Afterword) How sad that you added this to what they have had to endure!

The author came from a wealthy family and studied economics under Keynes. He became part of the student communist group at Cambridge, UK, but became disillusioned with the Party and returned to the US in 1938. After being a speechwriter for FDR, he wrote for the magazine New Republic. Not until after the war did he approach the FBI and share his knowledge on the communists he knew from his youth. This book helps one understand why so many well-educated young people became involved with communism. This may seem like very 'dry' material, but the way the author integrates the story of his personal life with historical events keeps it interesting. 351 pages, indexed.

While the style was easy reading, the book is flawed in several ways. In her Author's Note Ms. Fremont tells us that she has "...imagined details in an effort to convey the emotional truths of my family's experiences." So, what was real and what wasn't? If some "facts" are fictionalized, how can we believe any of it? In addition, Ms. Fremont's sexual orientation had absolutely no place in this book. After a while you got the impression that she wrote her family's story as a way of coming out, of being accepted as a lesbian by way of revealing their "dark secrets." She kept asking the family members if it was all right with them if she was gay. Ms. Fremont, either get a new therapist or GET OVER IT!
In the end I have enormous respect for Ms. Fremont's family whose secrets I belive she should have kept to herself and hope that she finds some way to deal with her own turmoil.

As a daughter of a survivor myself, I admired the skillful way Fremont knits together the bits and pieces of stories she gets from her parents about the war, and uses her imagination to fill in the rest. I can very much relate to her feelings of never being able to live up to her parents' seemingly impossible survival stories, and wondering if the parents she knows are really the same people who fought to survive war-torn Poland. As a child of a survivor, I can relate to a lot of this story, and as a writer, I admire the tightness of the writing, despite the vignette style it is written in. Congratulations, Helen Fremont! I hope that my father's story can be told as poignantly, one day.

I really enjoyed this book, it was easy reading ( I really like her style of writing, it reminded me of Mary Karr's in the Liar's Club) It was amazing that her parents were at all sane (particularly her father) after what they had been through. My only criticism is Ms. Fremont's claim to have been raised Catholic. She was no more raised Catholic than I was raised Jewish! Going to Church once in a while does not make you Catholic, and she was clearly not part of a genuine Catholic community and all of the cultural and social aspects that go along with it. If she had truly been raised Catholic it would have been more traumatic for her to leave it behind. By the way, I think this would make a GREAT book club selection - there would be lots to talk about.

it takes the author a long time to allow herself to write freely about her subject. it seems to me that she is largely the victim of her own need to control her narrative. this takes away from the impact of her story and often turns her report into a lukewarm listing of events. only when she describes her mother's narrative and steps aside to let her mother speak and when she gains a deeper understanding of her own identity does this narrative take wing and become lyrical at times and moving most of the time. the book will appeal to students of the Shoah (Holocaust) and those interested in Jewish identity. Ruth Tenenholtz Haifa Israel

I totally agree with all those who said that this book is an outstanding peace of art. One more example of that there cannot be too 'MANY" books about the Holocaust subject. I understand,however the reluctance and even hostility of Helen and Lara's parents(as well as some of the readers) about the exposing Helen's parents life story.It is definetely painful, as well as possibly embarassing to let the whole world to know their very private life.(even though they have nothing to be ashamed about).But to that you can also add that Lara and Helen have a RIGHT to know about thier roots and their family. So in that respect I agree that their parents made a big mistake by SUPRESSING it all. It seems that they mostly defnding themselves rather than their kids about the truth.When our children are small that is understandable. But it is WRONG to hide the truth about the family once children are all grown up. Amazing story and I wish Zosia and Helen's mom would open up and tell everything. Once they die... no more memory...
(...)

"Skillfully written.....a personal and painful testimony of the horrors of the Nazi uprising and how our parents' pasts intrinsically become ours. I highly recommend this book to all who try to understand the essense of survival before and after the Holocaust."

After Long Silence is a book I keep on my shelf always. I often have two so I can lend one out to those I think may enjoy it.
I have read hundreds of thousands of books in my life, yet this is a book I return to again and again. I hope it is released in ebook format somewhere soon as I want others to discover it. It is a hidden gem.

Please take a moment to look at my November 28, 1999 review, my only "anonymous" review which I have given the same title to here. I'm not looking for more ratings. I just want to bring this book to as much attention as possible. A dazzling addition to Holocaust literature.

Helen Fremont's book has the ambiance of a freshman term paper on "The Proselytization of Shylock." Winding its way through an interminable examination of her parents conversion to Christianity she slashes through her parents privacy like a modern day Richard the Lionhearted while creating the illusion that she is a victim of the holocaust. Finally she confronts true evil in the Popes backyard, forcing her Italian cousin to come to grips with his Jewish heritage. For why? God known what this woman would have done to Saint Paul if she had caught him by the toga. A strange preoccupation with Judaism for a woman whose lifestyle is distinctly non-Jewish. Unfortunately we have become a society where economic benefits and social dividends accrue from victimization. Who would better understand this fact than an attorney? It is sad that a young, well-educated woman should choose to use her time and money to pursue victim-hood. I can think of a thousand more useful projects. Yes, it is a sad truth that if one takes a path other roads are denied. It is also true that the decisions a parent makes influences the lives of their children. Parental influence is a legal and moral obligation. I can personally find little fault with Ms. Fremont's parents. She and her sister were raised to be successful, literate, individuals by mere mortals who had been to hell and back.. What more can anyone ask? Do we really need 319 pages to deal with whatever? A no brainer but in my opinion well written.

I applaud Ms Fremont's "out-ing" of the secrets and lies that surrounded her childhood and young adulthood. As a lesbian and an adoptee, my own early life has been replete with secrets and lies -- but no longer. As well, I am closely related to both Holocaust survivors and children of Holocaust survivors. While I agree that exposing these details is painful, it can also be a freeing experience.
Those who have castigated Ms Fremont for revealing family secrets probably have secrets of their own they wish to keep hidden. And as for those who see no connection between Ms Fremont's lesbianism and her family's silence, I can only presume they are singularly repressed and/or uninformed.

Like peeling an onion! Each page reveals another teary layer of secrets as the author discovers her family's past. What an incredible story of determination and love. I wonder what silent secrets are entwined in my family tree? Highly recommend Ms Fremont's book to all readers.

The story was riveting... I was amazed at what the characters (who had been silent) went through to survive. Being a contemporary of Ms. Freemont, I was humbled to be reminded that the Holocaust was within my parents' lifetimes. I would think of my American parents and how old they were when these horrific events were going on. Ms. Freemont was & should have been deeply affected by this enlightening discovery. Yes, I can imagine recording all the details down and 'investigating' their lives... after all, that is why so many are interested in geneology. However, I fail to see what possible good-intentioned motive there was to making it into a tell-all book that was admittedly not encouraged by her parents or her aunt. I was so ticked off at the author for her betrayal. I feel similarly repulsed by those adopted children who come barging back into the lives of those who gave them up years ago without fully investigating how much these peoples' lives can be affected by 'a blast from the past.' Like other readers, I felt the book should have been given a 'Novel' listing... perhaps I would have liked it better if it was a story based on the revelation the author had in her 30's of her family's Holocaust heritage.... rather than airing all the dirty laundry. Also, if her parents had been deceased I wouldn't have been as bothered. I was probably the most angry when Ms. Freemont selfishly divulged this Jewish revelation to her 50 year old cousin. I can't imagine how Ms. Fremont's parents can ever trust her again... I also can't imagine spending a lifetime being unable to trust those anyone... including those you love the most. Shame on you Ms. Fremont.

I found this memoir to be a deeply personal account of a family's hidden history. Ms. Fremont's use of language brings images into clear view. Her insight into human nature with its secrets and hypocrisy is well depicted. Her courage to write, and then publish the book, despite family opposition to do so, is indicative of her committment to having the truth be told. She is a writer with a special gift to reveal herself while remaining objective and level headed.

I was very surprised to learn that Helen Fremont was able to become a lawyer and knew nothing about the Holocaust. What kind of education did she obtain? How was it possible that she wasn't interested in her parent's history? Even if they were Roman Catholics.

Book is full of historical errors (Warsaw was captured within hours, it was safer to be a Pole in the streets a Lvov during the German invasion)

It bothered me that the street names were Misspelled (Owacowa instead of Owocowa, Mariacki Platz insead of Plac Mariacki)

The story itself was very interesting. I wish however it was written by her parents.

Helen Fremont's book has the ambiance of a freshman term paper on "The Proselytization of Shylock." Winding its way through an interminable examination of her parents conversion to Christianity she slashes through her parents privacy like a modern day Richard the Lionhearted while creating the illusion that she is a victim of the holocaust. Finally she confronts true evil in the Popes backyard, forcing her Italian cousin to come to grips with his Jewish heritage. For why? God known what this woman would have done to Saint Paul if she had caught him by the toga. A strange preoccupation with Judaism for a woman whose lifestyle is distinctly non-Jewish. Unfortunately we have become a society where economic benefits and social dividends accrue from victimization. Who would better understand this fact than an attorney? It is sad that a young, well-educated woman should choose to use her time and money to pursue victim-hood. I can think of a thousand more useful projects. Yes, it is a sad truth that if one takes a path other roads are denied. It is also true that the decisions a parent makes influences the lives of their children. Parental influence is a legal and moral obligation. I can personally find little fault with Ms. Fremont's parents. She and her sister were raised to be successful, literate, individuals by mere mortals who had been to hell and back.. What more can anyone ask? Do we really need 319 pages to deal with whatever? A no brainer but in my opinion well written.

I applaud Ms Fremont's "out-ing" of the secrets and lies that surrounded her childhood and young adulthood. As a lesbian and an adoptee, my own early life has been replete with secrets and lies -- but no longer. As well, I am closely related to both Holocaust survivors and children of Holocaust survivors. While I agree that exposing these details is painful, it can also be a freeing experience.
Those who have castigated Ms Fremont for revealing family secrets probably have secrets of their own they wish to keep hidden. And as for those who see no connection between Ms Fremont's lesbianism and her family's silence, I can only presume they are singularly repressed and/or uninformed.

Like peeling an onion! Each page reveals another teary layer of secrets as the author discovers her family's past. What an incredible story of determination and love. I wonder what silent secrets are entwined in my family tree? Highly recommend Ms Fremont's book to all readers.

The story was riveting... I was amazed at what the characters (who had been silent) went through to survive. Being a contemporary of Ms. Freemont, I was humbled to be reminded that the Holocaust was within my parents' lifetimes. I would think of my American parents and how old they were when these horrific events were going on. Ms. Freemont was & should have been deeply affected by this enlightening discovery. Yes, I can imagine recording all the details down and 'investigating' their lives... after all, that is why so many are interested in geneology. However, I fail to see what possible good-intentioned motive there was to making it into a tell-all book that was admittedly not encouraged by her parents or her aunt. I was so ticked off at the author for her betrayal. I feel similarly repulsed by those adopted children who come barging back into the lives of those who gave them up years ago without fully investigating how much these peoples' lives can be affected by 'a blast from the past.' Like other readers, I felt the book should have been given a 'Novel' listing... perhaps I would have liked it better if it was a story based on the revelation the author had in her 30's of her family's Holocaust heritage.... rather than airing all the dirty laundry. Also, if her parents had been deceased I wouldn't have been as bothered. I was probably the most angry when Ms. Freemont selfishly divulged this Jewish revelation to her 50 year old cousin. I can't imagine how Ms. Fremont's parents can ever trust her again... I also can't imagine spending a lifetime being unable to trust those anyone... including those you love the most. Shame on you Ms. Fremont.

I found this memoir to be a deeply personal account of a family's hidden history. Ms. Fremont's use of language brings images into clear view. Her insight into human nature with its secrets and hypocrisy is well depicted. Her courage to write, and then publish the book, despite family opposition to do so, is indicative of her committment to having the truth be told. She is a writer with a special gift to reveal herself while remaining objective and level headed.

I was very surprised to learn that Helen Fremont was able to become a lawyer and knew nothing about the Holocaust. What kind of education did she obtain? How was it possible that she wasn't interested in her parent's history? Even if they were Roman Catholics.

Book is full of historical errors (Warsaw was captured within hours, it was safer to be a Pole in the streets a Lvov during the German invasion)

It bothered me that the street names were Misspelled (Owacowa instead of Owocowa, Mariacki Platz insead of Plac Mariacki)

The story itself was very interesting. I wish however it was written by her parents.

To keep this review short and sweet, this book was amazing. I was gripped from beginning to end and my view of life has been changed. The strength that Batya and Zosia showed throughout the war seems surreal, and I wonder if I could ever do the same. An intense book that is easy to read and easy to love, I recommend this to anyone who wants to put their daily troubles into focus and compare them to what really counts--love, commitment, devotion.

This book talks to you on a number of levels from each family members perspective of life to the coming of age of the main character. The author takes you through each event to the point that you live the events yourself. The historical aspects are incredible. How the members of the family survived are a testament of strength. The author inspires you to look at your own life. I could not put the book down and have read it more than once!

I found it sad and cruel that this woman could not appreciate the horror her family lived through. It was very self serving of her to use their experience in such a way as to satisfy her own identity search/emotional work and publish during their lifetimes.

I enjoyed this book immensly. The author works in my office, that made me want to read it. Once I opened it, the words grabbed me and pulled me through. It is very well written, it's one of those books that you can't put down, you just have to know what happens next. It's a fascinating and extraordinary life story! Read it, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Although this book has some fascinating aspects, I can't help but find the style to be mediocre. It lacks the strong cohesion and polish that writers such as Angelou and Duras display in their memoirs. However, if you are interested in European life during WWII, particularly the Jewish experience, then you will gain insight from this novel.

This book has inspired me to go looking for my herritage, it is amazing how the Holocoust survivors can stand to hide what they have been through, and hide it from their children? I don't know, but I would be hurt inside, and I would need to tell someone! I hope people like this book as much as I did. It is incredibly good!

True, for the first 75 pages I could not put it down. Then the memoir ended and the fiction began. I struggled on for another 100 pages at which point I decided that Ms. Fremont was masquerading under false pretenses and gave up. A lively imagination does not a memoir make. It needed to be reclassified as fiction. I have rarely read a book that initially engaged me so thoroughly and then disapointed so totally.

As a confirmed fan of Sheri Tepper's books (and I've read almost all many times) this just might be my favourite. I know the story well from reading it again and again but the little touches she excells at still delight me.

I couldn't put this book down. I was moved by the author's experiences, as well as the lasting impact that trauma and family secrets have. While she does fictionalize some accounts, I thought the author did a great job of clarifying where this was occurring. Would highly recommend!

This book would make a great movie. The story of the author's parents during the war is truly a tale worth telling. They've overcome tremendous odds but did not survive unscathed. It made me realize that although people physically survive wars, they are scarred for life. They live with the price of their survival everyday. Theirs is an amazing story, very poignant.

Helen Fremont has created an incredible tribute to her parents and family. While learning more and more about who her parents really were, she helped her parents learn about who she really was. Eloquently written, this book will hold your interest from start to finish.

This book was required reading my first year in college. It eneded up consuming the entire year in a depessing and dire atmosphere. Every class we talked about the book, it's themes, it's techniques.

Never once did anyone dare to say they disliked the story. How could you say you disliked a personal story about the Holocaust and the ending in which she relays to the entire world that she is homosexual. You couldn't voice an oppinion against this at the risk of being "A Nazi" or a "Homophobe".

I'm risking that to tell every person here that this story was terrible. It was about the author harassing her Holocaust surviving parents over and over again about their terrible ordeal. They wanted to have it in the past, over with, gone, and forgotten. The memories were too hard to dredge up and frankly they were none of their daughter's business. BUT the author Sherlock's the information and writes this book. She then said in the end that she was homosexual when this information had nothing to do with the story. The entire book was a way to "come out" with all the stress on her parents and none on herself.

This indeed was a sad story, but because of the desparate and self centered needs of the author. It's easy to have a best seller when you make your subject matter a taboo subject to disagree with.

Read it if you want and form your own opinions. This is just mine.

I'm sorry but I couldn't finish it... so I did not get to the part of the author being lesbian (!) It was... funny, predictable, I read books like that before written by Jewish Americans, they all seem to use the same myths over and over and base whole book around them. You read one, you have a feeling like you read them all. Boring...