THE LOST WIFE is a haunting romance set during World War II. Lenka Maizel is an aspiring artist in Prague who struggles to distinguish herself at the competitive art school, Prague's Academy of Art. Lenka receives the inspiration she needs for her work when she falls in love with her best friend's brother, Josef Kohn. But conditions in Prague begin to deteriorate. Vandalism against Jews becomes a common occurrence and no Jew in Prague in unaffected by the anti-Semitism inspired by the invasion of Nazi Germany.

Josef surprises Lenka by asking her to marry him. His family has arranged for a relative in The United States to sponsor visas for the Kohn family. Lenka marries Josef under the impression that Josef will obtain a visa for her and her family but, after the wedding, Josef announces that he can only take Lenka. Lenka refuses to leave her family behind where Jews are no longer safe. She asks Josef to travel to New York first and promises to join him once he can sponsor her and her family. However, sixty years will pass before Josef and Lenka will be reunited.

After Josef leaves Prague, Lenka tries to convince herself that Josef will get visas for her and her family. But soon the wave of anti-Semitism begins to cloud every last ray of hope she has of seeing Josef again. The Germans begin imposing strict rules which convert Jews from citizens to slaves: curfews are strictly enforced, Jews can only shop at specified stores on certain days, all radios must be surrendered, and all Jews must wear a yellow Stars of David on their clothing.

Finally, Lenka learns that Jews are no longer allowed in Prague and will be move to an all Jewish community. Lenka and her family naively believe their new home will be an improvement from the discrimination which now dominates life in Prague. But life at the Nazi ghetto, Terezin, will torment Lenka even sixty years later. Alyson Richman captures the hopeless and despair of life in a concentration camp - cramped beds, the stench of unwashed bodies, and the horror of watching loved ones slowly waste away to skin and bones.

Josef will spend years looking for his lost wife. But when Lenka's name appears on a list of people who were gassed at Auschwitz, Josef realizes he must let go of the girl he vowed to love forever. The novel alternates between Josef and Lenka's narration. Both characters describe the life they led after their forced separation. After learning that Lenka is dead, Josef marries a Jewish girl named Amalia. Although their marriage is loveless, the ghosts of Amalia's past bond them together until her death. THE LOST WIFE is a novel that should be read by everyone regardless of genre preference. Through the eyes of a young couple in love, Alyson Richman successfully evokes the darkness endured by the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. Josef and Lenka's love endures the horrors of war, time, and distance. The alternating narration emphasizes the unbreakable bond between Lenka and Josef. Lenka's character is based on a real Holocaust survivor named Dina Gottliebova who survived a stay at Terezin and later immigrated to California. THE LOST WIFE is a highly impressive novel that tempers the tragedy of the Holocaust with an unforgettable love story.

Book Summary

In pre-war Prague, the dreams of two young lovers are shattered when they are separated by the Nazi invasion. Then, decades later, thousands of miles away in New York, there's an inescapable glance of recognition between two strangers. Providence is giving Lenka and Josef one more chance. From the glamorous ease of life in Prague before the Occupation, to the horrors of Nazi Europe, The Lost Wife explores the power of first love, the resilience of the human spirit- and the strength of memory.