It has been more than half a century since Elaine Greenstein's twin sister, Barbara, ran away from their life in the Jewish Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Elaine has, over time, found some sense of peace with the disappearance of her sister, who was always so different from her and often was her rival. But in preparing to move to a retirement community, Elaine runs across some old paperwork that brings the memories of their shared childhood back to life, and sparks a new, and ultimately successful, search to find her long lost sister.
This is another of those books I love, that combines a modern day story with a historical mystery. In this case, we relive life in a Jewish neighborhood in the 1920's and 1930's, with all its stereotypical (but accurate) facets. We also experience the thrill of detective work and unraveling a mystery.
This book had me transfixed from the opening page. I simply could not put it down, and found myself totally immersed in the story and the setting. I found the language and descriptions charming and spot on, and really got a sense of what it must have been like to live in Boyle Heights in the early part of the twentieth century. I adored the ending, where the two sisters meet up after more than fifty years apart. Again, the language was spot on and realistic, and their reactions to one another just what one would expect.
This was a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it to all readers. 5.0 out of 5.0.
I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher. This did not affect my review in any way.
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