Come Back for Me By: Sharon Hart-Green

Come Back for Me

By: Sharon Hart-Green

Within this book, you are going to see and feel things, that you may have heard told through stories, and seen on the TV screen by others. Here we will follow Artur Mandelkorn a young Hungarian holocaust survivor who is trying desperately to find his sister. 

Artur remains sternly focused on this endeavor, and it leads him into the post war of Israel. 

Suzy Kohn is a teen from Toronto, whose usual routine has been ruined by Israel’s war, causing her to lose her Uncle, and tearing her family apart. 

After Israel’s six-day long war, Suzy and Artur’s paths cross, and the two are compelled to share their stories with one another.

Artur continues his search for his sister, now with Suzy by his side. Together, Artur and Suzy share their losses, and stories, and feelings, and eventually find that they have more in common than they thought.

Artur and Suzy start building on a friendship that unexpectedly turns into romance. The two share their loss, traumatic experiences, memories, and even Jewish ties, and realize that above all, it is family that weaves everything together. 

I found this book to be truly exciting and even eye opening. I have never read a book that was anything like this. It was a new experience for me, to read something with a Jewish insight, and I truly found it enlightening, to say the least. I give this book five beautiful stars, and look forward to reading more books by this author in the future!

Here are my questions for Sharon:

1.What made you write this book and how long did it take you?

I started writing my novel Come Back for Me about 10 years ago. However, the manuscript went through many revisions and structural changes over the years, so it is a very different book now than it was when I wrote my first draft.

Many people have asked me what inspired me to write this novel. There is no easy answer to that question, as I have found that novel-writing, at least for me, is mostly intuitive, drawing as much on unconscious forces and influences as it does on my everyday experiences. 

So, what drew me to write a novel about the aftermath of war and its lingering effect on two generation of Jewish families? To some extent, writing Come Back for Me can be traced back to my own childhood experiences. Despite growing up in a serene Toronto neighbourhood, it seemed that I was always bumping up against stories of war and loss, many of which emerged in whispered rumours about particular Jewish people who lived on my street. Such as: discovering the chilling fact that my best friend’s father not only lost most of his family in Poland, but that he was born and raised in the town of Oswiecim (Auschwitz); hearing that the Dutch Jewish neighbour at the end of the street had been hidden for most of the war in a closet; and discovering that the woman next door who hung out Christmas lights every year was actually Jewish--but didn’t dare reveal it to anybody. Of course as a child, I knew that these people were different. And as I grew older, I wanted to ask them (though I could never bring myself to do it): after all you have lost, how can you still embrace life? How can you marry, have children, build families and homes? How did you recover the ability to laugh?

2. Do you have any photos or descriptions of your characters?

       One of the central characters in the novel is a young girl named Manya. Her brother Artur describes her as follows:

I told him everything about Manya, describing her as painstakingly as possible so there could be no mistake about her identity.  I began with her appearance—her light brown hair that shone gold in the sun; her straight nose that turned neither up nor down; her eyes, brown and velvety, with long black lashes that half-covered them, giving her a wistful, dreamy look; her small mouth and her habit of sucking in her bottom lip when she was tense or afraid. But the most striking thing about Manya was her character. She had an air of gentle refinement that you didn’t often see in young people. Our elderly neighbour used to call her an eydl kind, Yiddish for “a precious child,” though it implied much more—a quality of inner nobility or sweetness of soul that fit my sister to a T.

3. What inspired you to become a writer?

 I had been teaching literature at the University of Toronto for many years. Although I loved teaching students how to interpret a literary work and extract its deeper meaning, a part of me was dissatisfied. I finally realized that this dissatisfaction derived from an inner need to tell my own stories: to be the writer and not just the interpreter.

4. What are you working on now?

I am working on a new novel about a young man with mystical inclinations who is searching for love.

5. Have you ever had writers block and if so what have you done for it? If you haven't or even have- what do you suggest for others who struggle with it?

When I get stuck, I make a deal with myself: sit down and write one line. Usually, I find that the one line leads to two or three or even a whole page of writing!

6. What are your hobbies?

Reading (of course!), long walks, bicycle riding; travel.

7. What is your favorite book of all time?

  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

8. Where is your favorite place to write?

I have an office in the basement of my house where I hide myself away from the world and write.

9. Do you ever put yourself into your characters?

I always try to dig deep in order to envision what my characters are feeling and thinking. In the process, I sometimes learn something new about myself!

10. Please include your social media and book links:

Website: https://www.sharonhartgreen.com/

Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Come-Back-Me-Sharon-Hart-Green/dp/1988326060/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Come-Back-Me-Sharon-Hart-Green/dp/1988326060

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14344474.Sharon_Hart_Green

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharon.hartgreen

Twitter: https://twitter.com/agnonia

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-green-764924a/

11. Anything to add:

I am happy to hear from readers, so please feel free to message me via Goodreads or other social media. Also, I am now taking bookings to appear at bookclubs, community events, and festivals. Please contact my agent Amaryah Orenstein at Go-Literary: info@go-lit.com

Come Back for Me by Sharon Hart-Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Within this book, you are going to see and feel things, that you may have heard told through stories, and seen on the TV screen by others. Here we will follow Artur Mandelkorn a young Hungarian holocaust survivor who is trying desperately to find his sister.

Artur remains sternly focused on this endeavor, and it leads him into the post war of Israel.

Suzy Kohn is a teen from Toronto, whose usual routine has been ruined by Israel’s war, causing her to lose her Uncle, and tearing her family apart.

After Israel’s six-day long war, Suzy and Artur’s paths cross, and the two are compelled to share their stories with one another.

Artur continues his search for his sister, now with Suzy by his side. Together, Artur and Suzy share their losses, and stories, and feelings, and eventually find that they have more in common than they thought.

Artur and Suzy start building on a friendship that unexpectedly turns into romance. The two share their loss, traumatic experiences, memories, and even Jewish ties, and realize that above all, it is family that weaves everything together.

I found this book to be truly exciting and even eye opening. I have never read a book that was anything like this. It was a new experience for me, to read something with a Jewish insight, and I truly found it enlightening, to say the least. I give this book five beautiful stars, and look forward to reading more books by this author in the future!

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