Noah's Child

Description

It is 1942 and the Jews are being deported from Belgium. Separated from his parents, seven-year-old Joseph must go into hiding. He is taken in the dead of night to an orphanage, the Villa Jaune, where the benign and enigmatic Father Pons presides over a motley assortment of children. With the ever-present threat of the Gestapo growing closer, Joseph learns that the secret of survival is to conceal his Jewish heritage. Soon Joseph also discovers that Father Pons has a secret of his own: he is risking his life not only for the boys in his care, but for the Jewish faith itself. Sensitive, funny and deeply humane, Noah's Child is a simple fable that reveals the complexities of faith, bravery and the human condition.

Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt is an internationally bestselling French author and playwright. Noah's Child is the fourth novel in his popular series Cycle de l'Invisible about childhood and religion. He lives in Brussels.

Magnificent... Schmitt's powerful yet understated novel makes for a refreshing re-read of one of humanity's darkest moments. -- Melissa Ruff * Time Out * Captivating... a book possessed of extraordinary humanity, a soulful offering that echoes long after reading. * Irish Examiner *