Too Many Men

Too Many Men follows Ruth Rothwax, a New York businesswoman, who accompanies her father Edek back to Poland. Edek, an 80-year-old Holocaust survivor now living in Melbourne, returns to confront his past in his homeland. The story tracks their journey through modern Poland, where father and daughter process their connections to the Holocaust in distinct ways. Ruth approaches the trip with determination and anxiety, while her father maintains an unexpectedly buoyant outlook despite his traumatic history. Their travels reveal the complex dynamics between parents and children, survivors and their descendants. The narrative moves between present-day experiences in Poland and memories of the past, incorporating both historical facts and personal recollections. The novel examines profound questions about memory, trauma, and healing across generations. Through Ruth and Edek's contrasting perspectives, it explores how different individuals carry and cope with the weight of historical tragedy.

Readers found this novel emotionally resonant in depicting a daughter's journey with her Holocaust survivor father. Many connected with the portrayal of intergenerational trauma and the complex parent-child dynamics. What readers liked: - Authentic portrayal of modern-day Jewish life in New York and Germany - Balance of humor with serious themes - Rich historical details and research - Relatable mother-daughter relationship dynamics What readers disliked: - Length (some found it overwritten at 600+ pages) - Repetitive internal monologues - Slow pacing in middle sections - Main character Ruth's neuroses and anxieties felt excessive to some Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (350+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (40+ reviews) "The humor helps digest the heavy subject matter" - Goodreads reviewer "Could have been edited down by 200 pages" - Amazon review "Captures the second-generation Holocaust experience perfectly" - LibraryThing user

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🔹 Lily Brett based many elements of the story on her own experiences as the daughter of Holocaust survivors, born in a displaced persons camp in Germany in 1946. 🔹 The book's title "Too Many Men" refers to the overwhelming presence of ghosts and memories of those who perished during the Holocaust, haunting both the characters and the Polish landscape. 🔹 The novel won Australia's prestigious Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book in 2000, establishing Brett as a prominent voice in Holocaust literature. 🔹 Like the protagonist Ruth Rothwax, Brett made several journeys to Poland to research and understand her family's history, including visits to Auschwitz where her parents were imprisoned. 🔹 The book incorporates elements of dark humor and wit, a characteristic of Brett's writing style that she developed as a coping mechanism for dealing with intergenerational trauma.