Max by Alex Miller

This is an intriguing book: part history of pre-war Europe and post-war Australia, part discussion of the Jewish diaspora, part travelogue, and part biography of a member of the resistance movement. Max’s quiet secretiveness grew from the guilty burden of those who survived but weren’t able to save their family. There was the possibility that by showing such overt love for his subject, this could become a reverent hagiography of a long-term mentor. However, Miller’s talent as a writer elevates this to a wonderful, heartfelt elegy for a friend.