I would like to thank NetGalley and The New Press for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it!

“Confidential” is a unique vignette of a Jewish family, whose trauma expands through several generations. Books, such as this one, makes it hard to decode just how much the author genuinely intended versus what the reader believes to have been the intention.

For most of the narrative the characters remain nameless, making it difficult to differentiate between a grandfather, father, son, mother, daughter, and grandmother. Somehow, I think that’s the point. We get to know the characters based off their own faults/limitations passed through their parents, and their parents’ parents—the trauma becoming their identity. At the end of the day, we are a product of our forebears, and an effect to our legacy.

Thank you NetGalley, Mikołaj Grynberg and The New Press for an Arc of this book. This is my subjective opinion.

3.5/5

I liked the premise of the novel, the tone, the presentation of characters and connections. It’s very interesting to see the generational differences and similarities of families. And yet, and I think this is a me problem, I had difficulties following the narrative in parts. The anonymity of the characters, having been given no names, confused me for about 2/3 of the book. I somehow liked it but it also somehow bothered me. This is why I have a rather hard time putting my impressions into words. I appreciated the depiction of trauma, reconciliation and love while struggling with the mosaic of chapters and characters.

A very beautiful and thought provoking read, Confidential is a pigment and humorous exploration of the experiences of a Jewish family in Poland. Spanning across generations, this is an unflinching look at trauma and how it feeds the generations beneath. It’s a series of vignettes that look at different generations and how they deal with their own challenges. It addresses serious subjects unflinchingly with a cutting but empathetic humour. A beautiful portrait of familial relationships and family dynamics, I was sad to finish this one.

An intricate exploration of generational identity and resilience, this novel delves into the lives of a Jewish family across three generations. Beginning with the Holocaust's impact on the first generation, the narrative intricately weaves through time, portraying the lingering shadows of trauma and the ways they shape—and occasionally distort—the lives that follow. Health crises, romantic entanglements, and personal triumphs are presented with the same unflinching candour.

Told in vignettes that shift across decades, the fragmented structure captures moments like snapshots—poignant, incomplete, yet deeply affecting. The transitions between characters and timelines can be a bt disorienting, but I think this was intentional, to mirror the book’s thematic undercurrent: lives are never neatly organized. The sparse, razor-sharp prose occasionally softens with moments of sardonic humor, creating a striking juxtaposition that underscores the characters' struggles and resilience.

While the book demands focus to piece together its mosaic of experiences, it rewards the reader with a poetic meditation on survival, family, and the ways history continues to reverberate through the present. For those interested in stories of generational trauma, identity, and humanity’s enduring spirit, this is a challenging yet profoundly rewarding read.

Thank you to NetGalley and The New Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow this was great. The writing was beautiful and the story packed such a punch for such a slim novel. I sped through this and felt totally immersed in the experience.

4.5 ⭐️

Confidential was a deeply moving account of a single family across time, as one generation flows into the next. The writing was concise but poetic. Whimsy and humour couch the harshness of situations faced by the characters — somehow, their realities are made more sober this way. When I initially started reading the book, I thought it was so compelling and relatively short; I assumed it would be a quick read. I was wrong. I had to pause to catch myself while reading — some vignettes were truly heartbreaking.

As other reviewers have mentioned, it can be difficult, at times, to track the characters across Confidential's scenes. I would agree with this. The movement across vignettes is imperfect, but I didn't find that I minded so much that it took away from my appreciation for the book. It gave the effect of a carousel or clicking through the images on an old View-Master to steal glimpses of these characters across time and space.

I feel that I'm being ineloquent in explaining how or why, but I really loved this book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the second world war, family dramas, generational trauma, or questions of identity and personhood, as well as lovers of poetic, if off-beat, writing.

Confidential by Mikołaj Grynberg offers a thought-provoking and darkly humorous look at the lives of a Jewish family in Poland, spanning multiple generations. The novella paints a raw and poignant picture of a family affected by trauma and burdened by their past, particularly the Holocaust. The story is split into vignettes, with each generation dealing with their own emotional struggles, from coping mechanisms to unaddressed grief, all laced with a sardonic wit.

I really enjoyed the way the story reveals the complexity of human relationships, but it was hard to connect with the characters fully—there’s a sense of unfinishedness about them, which feels intentional but leaves you feeling slightly adrift. The humor is dark and biting, making this a difficult but worthwhile read for anyone interested in post-traumatic narratives and family dynamics. It’s a book that doesn’t shy away from discomfort, and while it’s not always easy to follow, its sharp, sparse writing left an impact. I'd rate it 4 stars—it's an interesting read, but not for everyone!

this was fine. i liked grynberg’s short stories better, but this was pretty much in the same vein – his approach to contemporary polish-jewish life is fascinating, although i wish the characters and ideas had been a little more developed.

Life is a work in progress.
Grynberg tells the story of three generations in a family in vignettes, with the first generation going through the Holocaust and the last generation living in today’s Poland. He follows them as they cycle through their life as sometimes the wheel is up and sometimes it is down, and it takes them with it in it’s up and down journey.
The heavy burden endured during the Holocaust has moulded the first generation, but it has also cast its deep dark shadow over the rest of the generations. The family ticks along despite this but still it’s shaping is there. We see the coping mechanisms, the rebellion, the nervous tics, the dark humour and we see the family continue day after day. Sometimes it’s a wash, rinse and repeat with each member dealing with what life throws at us be it school, work, relationships, illness, death. They (we) continue until they (we) do not.

An ARC kindly provided by author/publisher via Netgalley

An unflinchingly honest and blunt portrayal of the burdens life can place on you. Translated from Polish, the novel describes the lives of Jewish sons and daughters, fathers and mothers spanning multiple generations. The punctuated writing leaves no room for empathy from the reader and is interspersed with sardonic humor that cuts to the core of their issues. Though the characters are sometimes hard to track, the unfinished nature of the plot leads you to view the characters themselves as unfinished, existing outside the constructed narrative. Health issues, affairs, and achievement are all delivered in the same tone throughout the novel, leaving it up the reader to attribute emotion to their lives.

"Confidential" by Mikotaj Grynberg reads like a collection of stories that together form a novella. It offers a darkly humorous perspective on an intergenerational Jewish family in modern Poland. The book is infused with dark humor, which seems to be tied to trauma and coping mechanisms. At times, it can feel unsettling, as readers are thrust into intimate scenes within the family. The writing style is sparse yet impactful. Thank you to NetGalley and the New Press for the ARC.