Book Review ‘Margot’ by Jillian Cantor
What if Anne
Frank’s sister, Margot, lived and made the journey to begin a new life in The
United States? Furthermore, delving deeper into speculation, Anne Frank
mentioned her older sister also kept a diary, what would we learn from Margot’s
perspective if her diary surfaced?
In fact, three
years older than her younger, more famous sister, Margot Betti Frank lived with
her parents Otto and Edith along with her younger sister the beloved Anne
Frank. School records reveal Margot was an excellent student, additionally, in
her diary, Anne claimed that her sister was better-behaved and more thoughtful
than herself.
Through war
records, but primarily, because of Anne Frank’s diary, we know the family went
into hiding in response to 16-year-old Margot’s receipt of deportation orders
from the Gestapo. Hence, the Frank family along with Fritz Pfeffer and three
members of the Van Pelt family remained in hiding for two years. Ultimately, betrayed
and arrested by the Gestapo, their betrayer, Tonny Ahler, reportedly escaped
capture.
Although it
is likely a far-fetched hypotheses’, Jillian Cantor, created a sensitive,
well-meaning, and educated speculative story about Margot’s life in
Pennsylvania after her escape from the concentration camp. Like many refugees,
upon arrival and until she could be self-supportive, Margot lived with a
sponsor family.
Though it was
often half-hearted, in this work of fiction, Margot attempted to erase all
indications of her former life from her new assumed identity as Margie
Franklin, the Christian, legal secretary. In effect, on the surface, it seems
to work for a few years, but as is reality, the past serendipitously intersects
with the present and suddenly she must deal with the circumstances from her
former life to move on with her new life.
In a way,
Jillian Cantor’s Margot Frank is a representation of any or all of the women
that did escape or avoided the grip of the Gestapo during WWII. It is a fantastic story of hope, strength, and
human struggle. Written by an author with care and sensitivity and that clearly
understood the task she embarked upon.
I highly
recommend the audio version of Margot as voice narrator; Rachel Botchan’s
performance, adds another layer of intimacy with the character.
Published by
Riverhead books is available at Amazon, Audible, and other book retailers.
Review by Sammy Sutton |
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