The Imposter Bride / Nancy Richler 357 pp.

Lily Azerov arrives in Montreal shortly after WWII  engaged to Sol Kramer, which marriage has been arranged for her from Tel Aviv.  When she's immediately rejected by Sol, his brother Nathan marries her instead.  They have a daughter, then Lily vanishes for decades.  Who was she?  What really happened to her during the war?  And why does she have a magnificent uncut diamond in her possession?  The novel is really the story of Ruthie, the daughter, and how she comes to understand the mother she's never met.  It's a mildly interesting depiction of postwar Montreal, and a psychologically intelligent portrayal of a young girl growing up without a mother.  Richler took a little too long unwinding the story, but it's a swift and fairly satisfying read.