In Olga Grjasnowa’s “July, August, September,” a young mother asks herself: How Jewish are we? And which stories do I pass on to my children? A touching, searching family novel.
Is it possible to know yourself without knowing the history of your family? In Ludmilla’s case the question is particularly complicated. Because her biography is, in a sense, a typical product of the violent 20th century: World War II, the Holocaust and the later collapse of the Soviet Union. Escape, repression, forgetting. The family: fragmented. And so do the stories people tell about them. The fact that great-aunt Maya now wants to celebrate her 90th birthday in Gran Canaria with everyone around is a perfect opportunity for Ludmilla to do some research. She flies there.