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The child of Holocaust survivors, Elizabeth Rosner addresses the pain Holocaust experiences create for both survivors and their families in her book The Speed of Light. Rosner began the book as an extension of ideas and themes first explored in her poetry collection, Gravity.

The Speed of Light intertwines the stories of Julian and Paula Perel, both dealing, each in their own way, with their father's secret past during the Holocaust, and that of their Central American housekeeper Sola, a refugee from a more recent tragedy. Paula, blessed with a fabulous singing voice, throws herself into touring, leaving her brother at home, watched over by Sola. Gradually, Julian's secluded, ordered life of physics, scientific dictionaries, and muted, off-color salvaged televisions is interrupted by Sola's presence. Together, they begin to wrestle with their respective sorrows while Paula, through the discovery of the truth of her father's past in Budapest, embarks on her own road to understanding and healing.

Rosner imbues each of her characters with a unique voice, weaving their narratives into lessons about grief, secrets, and the ways in which, though it may be painful, one must deal with the past. The Speed of Light demonstrates, to quote Dr. Alan S. Rosenbaum, author of Is the Holocaust Unique, that "if sharing stories makes witnesses of those with whom one's feelings are shared, then the unspeakable and incomprehensible may somehow become understood." Rosner allows the images in the novel to be seen in many different ways and encourages us to find our own connections and meanings. The influence of Rosner's career writing poetry and teaching creative writing clearly shapes the novel and makes it singular. One reviewer commented that "the novel is. a meditation on language, voice and the weight of secrets" and her words ring true. Chitra Divakaruni, author of The Mistress of Spices hails The Speed of Light as "beautifully written, in images that sing in our ears long after we've put the book down."

Rosner admits to being very much affected by her own family history. Though her parents, unlike Paula and Julian's father, shared their Holocaust experiences with her, Rosner understands first-hand how the Holocaust haunts both the survivors and their descendents. She says that she feels obligated to "continue the conversation" about the Holocaust in a time when first hand accounts are slowly being lost.

Rosner is the 2002 recipient of the Ribalow Award given by Hadassah Magazine. Past winners of the prestigious literary prize includes such writers as Francine Prose, Max Apple, Ann Roiphe, Anita Desai, Lynn Sharon Schwartz, and Louis Begley. Currently, Rosner lives in Berkley, California and San Miguel, Mexico. She is at work on a second novel.

--Caroline Patton

www.elizabethrosner.com