Mark's Review of The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal

Some books are important to read. The Hare with Amber Eyes is one of those books. It traces the colourful history of a wealthy banking Jewish family across Europe. The Ephussi. Apart from being very good bankers, they also collect art, Japanese art in particular, hence the title of the book. The reader is drawn in to the family knowing this is not going to end well. Sure enough, 1938 in Austria arrives and the family brutally and quickly loose everything. Some die in the concentration camps of Auschwitz or Dachua. This was Speen Book Club choice for January - very fitting as we have also had Holocaust Memorial Day. An important read.