Review Detail

What I Loved:
Though World War II era fiction of just about any sort has a high level of appeal for me, I’m wary of these “what if?” stories. It seems there are so many ways in which they could go wrong. In this case, I needn’t have worried, however, for Jillian Cantor handles this subject matter respectfully, beautifully, and cleverly.

Jillian Cantor’s Margot has a slow pace, but her writing and close examination of Margot as a character keeps the story from feeling slow. Particularly effective in the writing was Cantor’s use of metaphor. She uses the perfect ones, metaphors that fit Margot’s life and experiences, that really help make her voice feel true and unlike any other’s.

I am good at keeping secrets. I am wrapped in them now, the way I am wrapped in lies, like my sweater, clinging tightly to my skin, even on the hottest of days.

I love this quote, because it really speaks to Margot’s life now: sequestered, bundled, hidden, and secretive. Though Margot, now living in Philadelphia as the gentile Margie Franklin, survived, escaped from the Nazis, in some ways her life has not changed from the Annex. More accurately, she has not changed; mentally, she remains there, quiet and afraid of discovery.

Margie Franklin lives a quiet life, avoiding notice and working at a law firm as a secretary. Shelby, her coworker, throws Margie into a psychological tailspin when she invites her to go to the movies to see The Diary of Anne Frank. The existence of the book and now the movie force Margie, a case brought in to the law firm by a woman who survived the camps, and her crush on her boss, Joshua Rosenstein are forcing Margie to decide whether to confront her identity or to continue to hide.

Margie’s fear and guilt and discomfort seep out of every page. I really felt for her, and thought she was lovingly and kindly portrayed. One element of Margie’s narration that I especially loved was how un-American she was, how she struggled with understanding certain things about American lives. She has a foreign way of thinking that fits the way she’s not left the past behind, as do her issues with food. The integration of this reimagining of history is convincingly done as well, making the idea that she could have survived seem entirely possible.

What Left Me Wanting More:
The romance I’m rather of two minds about. Though Joshua’s obviously a nice guy, the decisions he make made it hard for me to really root for Joshua and Margie to actually become a couple. The resolution also felt a bit too sudden and like Margot’s mental breakthrough happened largely because of romance, though I’m not sure if that’s fair, as it was the culmination of many factors. Still, I don’t know if she would have gotten so far so quickly were she not under the pressure of possibly losing Joshua forever.

The Final Verdict:
Margot is a truly beautiful novel, both dark and inspiring at once. Cantor writes beautifully, capturing the spirit of a woman trapped in her past and unsure whether she really deserves a happy future. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy thoughtful, character-focused historical fiction.