Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Dark, Light, and Well-Balanced
Call us crazy, but we seem to have noticed that novels about human genocide tend to be a little, well, dark. Books about the Holocaust feel heavy, generally speaking, and Briar Rose is no exception. Take, for example, Josef's story about rescuing Gemma, which involves watching Nazis haul dead bodies out of vans for several days:
"When they saw the first bodies tumble out, they were angry. But when that woman was followed by another and another and another—eighty-two people in all pulled, dragged, and rolled out of the van—they were numb. And though they could not see clearly from behind the trees, they found out soon enough that the corpses had been mangled for the gold in their teeth and then rolled into an enormous mass grave…." (29.52)
Yikes. Yikes yikes yikes.
At the same time, Briar Rose balances all that dark stuff with moments of lightness, most of which take place in the modern parts of the story. Take Becca, for instance, who has an incredibly cheesy sense of humor. "'So, Watsonstein,'" she said to herself, 'what's so elementary now?'" (10.48)
(In case it isn't obvious, Watsonstein is Becca taking the name Watson, as in Sherlock's sidekick, and making it sound more Jewish. Becca. Girl. Do not quit your day job for a career in comedy.)
What do you get when you combine one of the darkest episodes in history with Becca's cringe-worthy jokes? Balance. With such a dramatic subject matter, the author wisely peppers the story with mundane deets like the contents of Stan's picnic. Which, for the record, consisted of "barbecued chicken, wine, bread, cheese, and celery sticks. Plus two yogurts." (12.57) (We're surprised the author didn't throw in the calorie count for good measure.)
Similarly, we learn the exact menus of every meal that Becca and Magda eat on the road, plus snacks. It may seem a little tedious, but such details inject the story, which is full of extremes, with some much-needed normality. Take a sigh of relief. And a yogurt for good measure.