Plunder

we learned that Adam Ostoja had died in 1963, only a year after publishing Za Drutami Śmierci; he had almost certainly never again spoken to Abraham.
Chapter 17
Gertrud, in Abraham’s account, says she has five children living with her. But in fact there were only four children: Gertrud’s youngest, Adolf, had by then died of scarlet fever.
Chapter 18
The ownership of the building breaks down as follows.
The entirety of Moshe Kajzer’s 68 percent stake was passed to his only surviving child, my grandfather.
Shia had no children—​or at least none that survived—​so his 32 percent stake went to his siblings, only two of whom, Moshe and Fyvush, had children who survived the war. So half of Shia’s share passed to my grandfather and half to Necha, Chaskiel, and Abraham.
So my father, my uncle, and aunt own 84 percent of the building; Necha’s and Chaskiel’s children own the remaining 16 percent.

About the Author
Menachem Kaiser holds an MFAin creative writing from the University of Michigan and was a Fulbright fellow to Lithuania. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, New York, and elsewhere. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.


Connect with HMH on Social Media
Follow us for book news, reviews, author updates, exclusive content, giveaways, and more.