Literary Pairings: ANNEXED + NO CRYSTAL STAIR

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Not matches, but good companions.

Today’s post offers a review of ANNEXED·by Sharon Dogar and suggests pairing it with NO CRYSTAL STAIR by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

(Note: this is part of my “If I were a librarian” fantasy in which I would always have ideas for the next great book to hand to a reader.)

Pair ANNEXED by Sharon Dogar with NO CRYSTAL STAIR by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

I read Anne Frank’s diary several times as a preteen, but Sharon Dogar offers something new here with a book that imagines what life in the annex–and after–might have been like for Peter van Pels. I loved how Dogar showed the evolution of their relationship, especially how she got inside what it might have been like to be forced together in a way, to know that this might be the only chance at love. Apparently there has been some fuss about Dogar sexualizing Anne Frank, but I think that objection has more to do with what people don’t want to think about teens–and their own children–than to do with any inconsistencies between Dogar’s portrayal and the Anne of the diaries. For more, please read my post, “Teens are (sexual) people, too.

Still, the most powerful part of Annexed for me comes in Part II, which imagines Peter’s experience in the camps. The narration is choked with numb despair, but it is beautiful and gripping.

Finally, a word about shyness: I appreciated how Dogar captured Peter’s personality and worldview, how she gave him a powerful, distinct voice in spite of his difficulty expressing himself to others. The narrative pulses with his will–and his right–to live. 

A minor issue: The only gripe I had was with the chapter headings (e.g. “Peter Dreams of Lisa,” “Peter Is in Love with Anne”). They seemed unnecessary and intrusive, but perhaps that wouldn’t be the case in a paper book rather than in audio; the reader’s eyes might fly right past these markers. Speaking of: I listened to Annexed on audiobook, and it’s wonderfully produced with a large cast. Usually I don’t like “performed” audiobooks, but here it works.

Why ANNEXED is a good pairing for NO CRYSTAL STAIR, which I reviewed here: NO CRYSTAL STAIR also draws on real-life documents to tell a story of struggle, although it’s a quieter, less dramatic narrative (the life story of influential Harlem bookseller Lewis Michaux). Readers who are fascinated by fiction inspired by real events will love NO CRYSTAL STAIR, which draws on and weaves in actual documents from Michaux’s life. This weaving of fact and fiction is more subtle in Annexed, but the dynamic is similar.

 

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