When this book was recommended to me, I was certain I had never read or even heard of this book. And, while only a couple years old, and a NY Times bestseller, this quiet book about a subject completely unknown to me turned into a pretty enjoyable read.
I feel I should share a bit about The Hare with Amber Eyes before going into a review, as you likely are also less familiar with this book. To clear up my first misconception - based on title, I figured it was a book of fiction. It is not; rather, it's a non-fiction story that covers the fascinating history of De Waal's family and their collection of netsuke. Again, if like me, you are not aware of what a netsuke is. They are basically Japanese carvings made of wood or ivory (the hare with amber eyes is one such that belonged to his family). I googled a few collections to get a better sense and appreciate their aesthetic. Besides being a potter as a day job, the author has a much deeper connection to these objects as it connects to his family's legacy.
In fact, the book is really a story about his research and the life of the many members of the Ephrussi family. The Ephrussi's were a rich Russian family who gained wealth as grain traders eventually growing their empire across much of western Europe. They were also Jews living in Europe in the 20th century and much of the book shares the challenges they faced with anti-Semitism and eventually navigating the Holocaust while living in Austria.
The book is an interesting read, and I enjoyed large parts of it. His family story is fascinating and the journeys and history of the Ephrussi's included a large array of charming and notable characters. I also enjoyed learning much more about the collection and beauty of netsuke. Some of the most fascinating parts of the book were the author's musings about the importance of "things"; especially things you could hold and provided meaning and depth to the owner. I also enjoyed the author often offering his own personal commentary about his own status of the writing process mid text. It was like a television character breaking the fourth wall and telling you their thinking about a scene as it's paused. His own personal musings about challenges, surprises, etc., added more flavor to the story.
The book can be slow at certain parts and didn't fully engage me throughout. The final quarter shares the story of the collection of netsuke moving back to Japan from Europe and it was the weakest part of the story. I also struggled with some pieces of vocabulary. I feel less bad about the more than occasional dropping in of native French, Russian, Austrian or some other language. It was the English words I didn't know that was frustrating. I am fine with an author using impressive and thoughtful language but it becomes frustrating when a dictionary is necessary on nearly every other page (it also makes this humble reader feel less smart).
On a whole, I recommend the Hare with Amber Eyes as it was one of the more interesting books I've recently read. I also appreciated learning about a slice of life I knew nothing about. While the family story was truly the heart of the book and engaging tale, learning about the story of these hidden treasures being passed down to the author was fun.
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