Wildman's Grandfather Karl was a successful medical doctor in the United States, but in 1939, as a young man, he was forced to leave Vienna with several other family members. In spite of losing several members of his extended family in the Holocaust, and enduring serious financial stress during his early years in the US, he went on to lead what could be called a charmed life: happy marriage, loving family, tremendous career success, exotic travel, and good health. It is only after his death that the granddaughter discovered that Karl had a 'true love' he was forced to leave behind in Vienna.
Paper Love is Wildman's attempt to find this woman, Valerie (Valy) Scheftel. Her research takes her to the Czech Republic, Vienna, Berlin, and London over a period of many years. The memoir is a multi-layered reading experience. We learn Valerie's story, Karl's story, Sarah's story as she meets contemporary German and Austrian historians and gleans their perspective on their countries' dark histories. It is also the story of unraveling the paper trail left behind by the bureaucrats of the Third Reich.
Wildman's writing is eloquent, fluid, and deeply emotional. Although the reader can guess Valy's fate in broad strokes, the details are quite suspenseful in Wildman's retelling through Valy's many letters. Perhaps it is Karl's story that is even more interesting though. A man whose most salient characteristic was optimism, Sarah comes to understand that Karl would have spent his life as a survivor, always coming to terms with what he had left behind.
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