"The camp at Auschwitz took one year of my life, and of my own free will I gave it another four." So begins the newest novel by Vermont author Jon Clinch, The Thief of Auschwitz.
The Rosen family are Polish and Jewish, and when World War II begins, society begins to crumble, and they’re forced into hard labor at Auschwitz. To avoid being killed, Jacob Rosen uses his skills as a barber and his wife, Eidel, lands a job painting the portrait of a high-ranking SS officer’s family. Their greatest wish is for their one surviving child, Max, to escape alive.
Jon Clinch speaks with VPR’s Peter Biello about this novel, which he calls a story of "parental love."