Addy Kurc

Addy Kurc is the 25-year-old son of Nechuma and Sol Kurc. At the beginning of the novel he is in France, having moved there from Poland to pursue a career as a music composer. Unable to return home because of the escalation of the war, Addy joins the Polish division of the French Army before traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as a refugee. En route to Brazil, Addy meets a young Czech woman named Eliska and the two become engaged to be married, but Addy finds he must end the relationship because he cannot be honest with her about his life before the war and his worries about his family. Later, Addy meets an American woman, Caroline, who helps him write letters to the Red Cross about his family, resulting in the family's reunion in Brazil. Addy marries Caroline.

Addy is a sensitive artist who is...