My Yankee Family Lost and Found

Writing in his preface to this edition of My Yankee Family, Jerzy Henisz notes that the opening section entitled "As I was told:" was originally published as a novella which evoked "numerous, yet mixed, responses." As a result the text was revised and further "interconnected" stories were added to create a novel. It might be wise for the reader to keep that in mind, to read the first entry, mark your place, and give it some thought. The book is ostensibly the story of a young Austrian who goes in search of a grandfather who emigrated to the United States at some time following World War II. Each chapter is told by a different character. There are disconcerting voice transitions from 3rd to 1st person, and sometimes the sentence structure reads like a poor translation, but the story is engrossing. At the close of Part I we read that the fictional protagonist (Greorg) has been encouraged by his friends to "bring some light and connect some loose ends in the story." What follows is a play which, by the very nature of things theatrical, casts further doubt on the veracity of both the characters and their dialogue. It is All Soul's Night, and if we were confused but willingly so before the play, we now feel we have been totally taken in. Trick or Treat? But by whom? Part II "As it happened:" finds the protagonist beginning a relationship with one of his American "cousins" ("cousins" because no one is at all certain of his/her parentage at this point). Murders ensue, some love and sex, international secret services clash (or don't ?) and when the last scene dissolves we aren't sure if the plot thickened or thinned or simply played itself out. Here is the last page: "I read the letter more than once. I could neither believe nor accept the content of her writing. Finally, with nothing else to do I purchased a ticket to Taormina. In the back of my mind there was hope that she might come to her senses and join me there." And here, the wise reader should firmly close the book with a nod of appreciation. It is a satisfying if mystifying novel. Unfortunately the author has tucked on a Part III in which the earlier sensibility to the mystery that is life--particularly other people's lives--has been abandoned to be replaced by unrelated polemical exposition and a "happy ending." My Yankee Family is a distinctive story with a distinctive format. Perhaps in its 3rd incarnation, it can stop with that purchase of a ticket to Taormina? (Reviewed by M.K. Turner, Bookreview)