Love and Treasure (50 page)

12. When Natalie Stein becomes Natalie Kennedy, she meaningfully disrupts the established script for her behavior. What does this say about the fluidity of identity? How does this transgression embolden her?

13. On
this page
, the pendant is returned to as close to its rightful heir as possible. What was your reaction to Dalia’s request to get the necklace appraised? What does her indifference to the physical object say about the dilution of history over time? Of personal connection to the Holocaust? To kin?

14. On
this page
, Natalie and Amitai fill out the Page of Testimony for Vidor Komlós, Gizella Weisz, and Nina Einhorn. What is the significance of this act?

15. The events of part three are narrated from the perspective of Dr. Zobel, a Freudian analyst. Why do you think the author to choose to include this point of view? Is the doctor
reliable as a narrator? What textual evidence exists to challenge his objectivity? What does his position assert about validity of historical retelling?

16. Gizella and Nina are introduced as strong-willed women who are ahead their time: Nina dreams of medical school, and Gizella is active in radical politics. What challenges do these early feminists face, both from their countrymen and from their families? Why do you think Zobel seeks them out years later?

17. Stealing is a motif in the novel: Jack pockets the pendant; the American soldiers freely “shop” from the Gold Train; Natalie lifts a painting; Amitai deals in the world of stolen paintings. How do the motivations for these acts differ? Who is morally right in his actions? What does the novel as a whole assert about ownership?

18.
Love and Treasure
is a novel that weaves intricate plotlines among stunning character portraits, bringing to life a historical event with fictitious details. Yet as the history unravels, gaps emerge and often disrupt a clear narrative. What does this assert about memory, both collective and personal? About how history is interpreted or reinterpreted over time?

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING

Everything is Illuminated
by Jonathan Safran Foer;
The History of Love
by Nicole Krauss;
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak;
The Gold Train: The Destruction of the Jews and the Looting of Hungary
by Ronald W. Zweig;
The Reader
by Bernhard Schlink;
Sarah’s Key
by Tatiana de Rosnay