FLORENCE ADLER SWIMS FOREVER

In this immersive and memorable summer story set in Atlantic City, 1934, an unexpected tragedy befalls the Adler family as their daughter Florence is training to swim the English Channel. In an effort to protect their eldest daughter, Fannie, who is pregnant and on bedrest, the Adlers conceal this terrible news. As their family’s secret grows in magnitude, it threatens to undo the very bonds that keep them together. Also woven into their family’s narrative is Florence’s friend Stuart, her brother-in-law Isaac, and the young German woman who lives with them, seeking refuge during the Nazis’ rise to power. A lovely, melancholy story told in alternating perspectives, this novel had me guessing until the end whether its many secrets would be revealed, and at what cost.

Based on an actual incident that occurred in the author’s family, this story is filled with tiny elements that add to its authenticity and depth. As a Jewish woman, I found that the traditions and prayers in the story resonated with me in unexpected ways, even if the characters were complicated, and their customs performed with varying degrees of love and faith. Ultimately this book is about family secrets. If a secret is told from a place of love, is it justified? When we tell ourselves a secret protects a loved one, are we really just protecting ourself? When does a secret of great magnitude become a lie? These troubling questions are set against the contrasting festivity of a summer beach town, and the dark foreboding of WWII’s approach.

The Adlers’ bakery is a critical part of the story, and since my breadmaker finally arrived this month (ordered in April!) I decided to make some challah. Have you ever made homemade challah? The braiding is more complicated than it looks, but so much fun. I’m going to try to make one every Shabbat!