Book Summary:
Annexed is a fictional account of
what happened in the annex where Anne Frank, her family, the van Pels family,
and Mr. Pfeffer hid during WWII. The majority of the people who are
characters in the story were real, but Dogar does create Liese, Peter’s
girlfriend prior to the annex, as a symbol of the many Jews who were taken and
never seen again during the Holocaust. The story begins as Peter is
deciding to go to the annex to hide with his family after witnessing Liese
being taken. Here he feels the last sense of freedom outside he will have
in his short life. Peter’s account of the annex is intermingled with his
dying thoughts from a deathbed in Mauthausen where he is presumed to have passed
away right before liberation at eighteen years old. Although most people
are familiar with Anne Frank’s diary, and thus her point of view of the annex,
this book gives insight to how Peter van Pels may have felt during this
difficult time. Several factual accounts of events written about in Anne’s
diary are addressed in Annexed, but
since we cannot know Peter’s thoughts, Dogar does her best to recreate them.
APA Reference:
Dogar, S. (2010). Annexed.
Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group.
My Impressions:
I was excited to read a book about the annex from Peter’s perspective because I
thought it would be a great suggestion for the guys in my 8th grade
classes around the time we read the play of The
Diary of Anne Frank. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the
expectations I had. The story itself was okay, and I would probably still
suggest the book to strong readers if they seemed interested. I felt the
writing was overly wordy and there were several points in the story where I
felt I was reading the same thing again and again, especially during the scenes
where Peter is thinking to himself as he is dying. Although these scenes
of the book should be touching and full of emotion, they felt forced.
This was anything but a quick read, which is understandable given the subject
matter, but it was a book I finished just to see how the author dealt with the
time after the annex. Peter’s time in concentration camps was emotional,
as was expected. I did like the way the author showed his guilt of
surviving longer than his father, then later of leaving Mr. Frank behind in
Auschwitz. Peter thought this would mean death for Mr. Frank, but as we
know Peter was the one of the two who did not survive. As Peter talks of
leaving Mr. Frank behind to his death, I wanted to yell at him to stay as well.
Maybe then he would have a chance that he missed in real life.
Although the entire book is fictional, Anne’s diary gives an insight into how
Peter may have felt in the annex. Since there is no recorded history of
his life in the concentration camps, his feelings and actions were created by
the author based on what little is known. I do feel that the guilt he
felt could have been real. It would seem normal for a child to feel this
way while trying to survive as best he can. Taken as a whole, Annexed is a decent read, but only for
strong readers due to the wordy language used. I wish it were a simpler
read in order to reach a larger audience of adolescents who would benefit from
learning more about the victims of the Holocaust.
Professional Review:
A
bold move. Dogar writes with respect, but to tell the story of Anne Frank and
her companions in the Annex from Peter Van Pels's perspective invites
controversy, which may overshadow the story itself. Peter's dying thoughts
(completely imagined, as there is little documentation of his life after the
Annex was raided) are interspersed with events readers will likely recognize
from Anne's diary, but in Peter's eyes Anne annoys as well as enchants. Less
hopeful than Anne, Peter mostly thinks about his burgeoning sexuality and his
loss of faith. The author's writing is assured and at times poetic, and it
truly soars in the wrenching and powerful (and fully fictional) camp scenes;
knowing the characters and outcome from the outset robs the Annex portion of
the story of some depth and nuance. As a companion to Anne's diary, this
fascinating read raises great questions about truth, narrative and perspective,
but it may strike some as exploitative, needless or otherwise questionable.
Ultimately powerful, but much of this feels like an exercise despite the love
and artistry apparent in the writing. (preface, epilogue, author's note,
further reading) (Historical fiction. 12 & up)
Annexed. (2010). [Review of the book Annexed by S. Dogar] Kirkus Reviews, 78(18), 924. Retrieved from
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Library Uses:
Annexed could be used in a Holocaust or WWII display. It would be a good addition to a WWII display because it might catch the attention of guys who generally read nonfiction books about wars and military. Historical fiction could be a good suggestion for adolescents who do not tend to read fiction as much.
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