Piri

Piri is nine years old when the narrative begins. She is a member of a loving Jewish family living in Hungary. Her father is a soldier, and she has many sisters and one brother. As is to be expected, she is innocent of many the things that are concerning the adults about the coming war, and her family tries to shield her as best they can from the truth of the German war machine and the spreading of anti-Semitic sentiment. Nonetheless, Piri has a sense of dread and foreboding in regards to the changing moods of the adults around her and, of course, it eventually becomes impossible for the adults to shield Piri from the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust.

As a middle child, Piri is tasked with taking care of the younger children and with helping around the house with domestic chores. She also...