The Imposter Bride (40 page)
Read The Imposter Bride Online
Authors: Nancy Richler
Lily Azerov’s notebook is gone—I delivered it yesterday, along with the diamond, still uncut and unfinished. The curator looked at the notebook for a long time, nodding. She told me how rare this sort of document is, how important, how helpful it will be to future generations. The diamond, though, puzzled her. She raised her eyebrows at me.
“It was found with the girl,” I said. “With Lily Azerov.”
I would leave it to the curator and those future generations
to determine the role it had played in the life of the girl who hadn’t survived to tell us.
What’s left on my desk now is the other notebook—my mother’s. It’s empty still, but not for long. I opened it last night before I went to bed, and it lies open to the first page, where I’ll begin this very morning, as soon as the first ray of light sweeps across it. I’ll begin with a wedding in July of 1946. I’ll begin in a small room off a banquet hall in Montreal.
I
am grateful to the following people, who read early drafts of this novel and offered helpful observations, criticisms and encouragement: Cynthia Flood, Tova Hartman, Sara Horowitz, Barbara Kuhne, Lydia Kwa, Helen Mintz, Janet Ostro, Susan Ouriou, Diane Richler, Dianne Richler, Martin Richler, Carmen Rodriguez, Robin Roger, Julia Serebrinsky, Howard Stanislawski, Rhea Tregebov, Vicki Trerise, Aletha Worrall.
Thanks to Dean Cooke and Iris Tupholme for their faith in this novel, their insights and their patience. The fresh eye that Jennifer Weis brought to the manuscript was also very helpful.
I also wish to thank my parents, Myer and Dianne Richler, for their constant generosity and support.
The Calabria Café in Vancouver, B.C., was my second home during the writing of this book. Thanks to Frank Murducco and sons, who own and run it.
And finally, always, thanks to Vicki Trerise.
The first chapter of this book appeared in slightly different form in
Room of One’s Own
, Volume 28:2, 2005.
The stanza from Czeslaw Milocz’s “Dedication,” which appears at the beginning of this book, was translated by the poet and is used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
NANCY RICHLER
’s short fiction has been published in various American and Canadian literary journals, including
Room, The New Quarterly, Prairie Fire, Another Chicago Magazine
, and
The Journey Prize Anthology
. Her first novel,
Throwaway Angels
, was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Crime Novel. Her second novel,
Your Mouth Is Lovely
, won the Canadian Jewish Book Award for fiction and Italy’s Adei-Wizo Literary Prize. The book has been translated into seven languages. Born in Montreal, Nancy Richler lived for many years in Vancouver but has recently returned to her hometown.
To receive updates on author events and new books by Nancy Richler, sign up at www.authortracker.ca
.
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ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
THE IMPOSTER BRIDE
“With delicacy and warmth, Richler weaves together the threads of a family: its closeness and secrets, opaqueness and hidden beauty, like the uncut gem whose mystery haunts these realistic characters. The rich storyline moves between the quotidian and the unspeakable, showing survivors starting over in an evocative post-war Montreal.”
—
DAPHNE KALOTAY
,
AUTHOR OF
R
USSIAN
W
INTER
“An intriguing tale of historical fiction that will transport you from Montreal to war-torn Europe and back again for a satisfying resolution of one family’s haunting secrets.”
—
SHILPI SOMAYA GOWDA
,
AUTHOR OF
S
ECRET
D
AUGHTER
“Nancy Richler paints a deft and loving portrait of Jewish Montreal in the post-war years and then turns to wartime Europe for the dark mystery that provides her intriguing plot. The results are engrossing, both highly readable and moving.”
—
KATE TAYLOR
,
AUTHOR OF
M
ME
P
ROUST AND THE
K
OSHER
K
ITCHEN
“
The Imposter Bride
is a jewel of a book. With a true storyteller’s craft, Richler spins her tale from the wreckage that was the inheritance of World War II, each life carrying a secret burden of loss. These are characters that will stay with you long after you read the last word of the book, and show us that even out of the greatest tragedy, it is possible to shape hope and love.”
—
NAOMI BENARON
,
AUTHOR OF
R
UNNING THE
R
IFT
Your Mouth Is Lovely
The Imposter Bride
Copyright © 2012 by Nancy Richler.
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EPub Edition © MARCH 2012 ISBN: 978-1-443-40405-1
Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
FIRST EDITION
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
First stanza (5l.) of “Dedication” from
The Collected Poems 1931–1987
by Czeslaw Milosz. Copyright © 1988 by Czeslaw Milosz Royalties, Inc. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
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