The County of Birches by Judith Kalman tells the story of a young girl and her family as they flee the Nazi purges of Eastern Europe, as they make their way to London, and as they finally settle in the tightly knit Jewish community of Montreal. While many of the stories are told from young Dana's point of view, many others involve her parents' memories of a prior life in Hungary, and the wounds that were inflicted in the war. Combined, the stories carefully chart an arc through a family's injured life, and ultimately see them through to a path of spiritual and emotional renewal.
"Kalman captures perfectly the sharp, intuitive quality of a child's perspective and the telling detail of everyday life, imbuing her finely honed stories with grace and wonder."
