Chapter 1, Four Perfect Pebbles Summary and Analysis

The chapter open as little Marion awakes in her mother's arms in their wooden barrack at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Western Germany. She was immediately cold due to the freezing German winter. Women gasped, moaned, cried and coughed as they awoke. Each day some prisoners could not awaken, as some died in the night. Their bodies were taken away and burned or buried. New prisoners took their place. Marion was nine years old and couldn't decide whether the freezing weather or hunger was worse, though the hunger eventually disappeared as her appetite adjusted. Eventually the Kapos (privileged prisoners who served as guards) cried for everyone to come out for roll call. Their rooms would be inspected and if one failed to meet inspection, she could lose her bread ration for that day.

Roll call...