Eva and Eve

Eva and Eve is an intimate exploration of one family’s escape from Nazi-occupied Vienna. Do you have family members who lived through this time? How have you learned their stories?

For children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, there is often a silence around family stories of the Nazi era. If you’ve experienced this in your family, how would you go about researching your family’s history?

In Eva and Eve, the author makes use of fictional devices in parts of the narrative. Why do you think the writer chose to do this and do you think it is effective?

The Jews of Vienna, including the author’s family, felt that they belonged to their city and would remain safe. Talk about why they felt this way, even with the rise of Hitler in neighboring Germany. Do you see any parallels to our time?

Eva and Eve introduces us to three sets of mothers and children. How would you describe your connection with your own mother? What aspects of her personality do you see in yourself?

The Singer family escape was the result of a combination of persistence and what seems like random good fortune. Or was it random? Talk about the role of brief encounters in your own life, and how those changed you.

For most of us in the United States, with the exception of Native Americans, our families came from somewhere else. What is your family’s history in the United States? Did your family come by choice or as a result of persecution or enslavement? If by choice, what did they hope to find here? What did America mean to them?

The trauma of war and persecution can reverberate through generations. Do you have any experiences of this in your family?

Eva and Eve has a braided structure, interweaving the present and past. Talk about other books or films or television shows with this kind of structure and how it works in storytelling.

The Holocaust is one of the most researched events in history. What do you think we can learn from stories about the era of National Socialism in Germany and its occupied territories?

The persistence of anti-Semitism and racism in American has moved to the front pages of the news. How would you envision a constructive and positive way to discuss these issues with friends and families and your larger community?

In the book, the author describes her desire to reclaim Austrian citizenship, despite the anger her mother felt toward the country that had expelled her. She elaborates on this quest here: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/community/articles/daughters-inheritance-austrian-passport
How do you think the author’s feelings about Austria change during the course of her research?