Oh my word! This is an stirring, fascinating and authoritative work of fiction bound by research into two of the most harrowing human issues in the world at this time, that of oppression and genocide. Simply and starkly told, this compelling story is divulged in the third person by Grandfather Leo, recalling his torturous time in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Second World War and in the first person by his morally confused Grandson Sam, growing up in a complicated and conflicted Israel during the last two decades. This story feels so real, as though someone is narrating their real life story, so the ending, giving two alternative visions and versions of the future is a welcome re-emphasis that this is a work of fiction. The viewpoint of the author is clear, yet by writing Of Winter’s Cost as a novel, he encourages the reader to think, discuss and explore this emotive and provocative subject. ~ Liz Robinson
There is a glossary of terms at the back of the book to assist with titles, terms and meanings.
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Sam wants to follow the path ordained by his father and his fellow Jewish settlers living on the dangerous West Bank, but is haunted by his grandfather's tales from the Holocaust and disturbed by the vicious tactics employed by his comrades against their Arab neighbours. He soon comes to realise that the victims of anti-Semitism have become the victimisers in an increasingly bitter struggle for land. Of Winter's Cost launches an uncompromising attack on all forms of racism whether instigated by the Nazis during the Second World War or by Jewish fundamentalists on the West bank. The heroes are a survivor of the Holocaust, who finds it in his heart to forgive the enemies of his people, and a young man struggling to discover where his true loyalties lie.
Geoff Akers was born in Peebles, Scotland in 1954, and studied at Aberdeen University where his interest in modern history and literature was fostered. He became particularly interested in poetry written during the First and Second World Wars and focused his honour's dissertation on the work of Wilfred Owen and Isaac Rosenberg. He taught English, History and drama for over fifteen years before giving up to become a full-time novelist. To date, he has written two novels - including, Beating for Light and a number of short stories. He is currently writing a third novel centered on the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict.
