The Night of the Burning

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BfK No. 172 - September 2008

Cover StoryThis issue’s cover illustration by Mick Inkpen is from a new Kipper title, Hide Me, Kipper! (978 0 340 97045 4, £10.99 hbk). Mick Inkpen discusses his work here. Thanks to Hodder Children’s Books for their help with this September cover.

The Night of the Burning

Carrying the weight of memories of the inhumanity she has seen perpetrated against her family, it is with great reluctance that Devorah decides to set off, with sister Nechema in tow, to forge a new future for herself in South Africa under the watchful eye of Isaac Ochberg.

Interspersing past and present narratives, the novel explores the socio-political backdrop to the Pogrom of 1920 and the ramifications of this. Devorah and Nechema are almost metaphors for two distinct methods for reaching resolve with the legacy of fear that the past has left. Adopted into a new family, Nechema casts aside her old life in order to forge a future for herself. Devorah meanwhile endeavours to reach her own resolve, influenced by her father’s desires that history and our individual stories should neither be lost nor forgotten. The novel ends on a note of optimism and hope as we see the spirited Devorah finally find acceptance for her new life and the opportunities this poses.