Nancy Kricorian Knihy

The narrative explores the life of Zabelle, who survived the 1915 Armenian genocide and later immigrated to America for an arranged marriage. As her family gathers for her funeral in present-day Massachusetts, they uncover the complexities of her character and the legacy she left behind. The story balances humor and heartbreak, revealing the disconnect between Zabelle and her children, ultimately shedding light on her remarkable journey and the cultural history that shaped her life.

On the day the Nazis march down the rue de Belleville, fourteen-year-old Maral Pegorian is living with her family in Paris, where, like many other Armenians who survived the genocide in their homeland, her parents have come to build a new life. The adults immediately set about gathering food and provisions, bracing for the deprivation they know all too well but Maral, her brother Missak, and their close friends Zaven and Barkev are spurred to action of another sort, finding secret and not-so-secret ways to resist their oppressors. When Zaven and Barkev flee to avoid conscription, Maral finally realizes that the Occupation is not simply a temporary outrage to be endured and when only one brother returns after many fraught months, the contours of Maral s world are changed irrevocably."

Von der amerikanischen Presse wurde sie mit Amy Tan und Toni Morrison verglichen: Nancy Kricorian schildert mit ebenso poetischer, klarer Sprache das bewegte Leben einer armenischen jungen Frau - ein klassisches amerikanisches Einwandererschicksal.