''Just Like That'' (1994) is a novel by

Lily Brett Lily Brett (born Lilijahne Brajtsztajn 5 September 1946, Feldafing displaced persons camp, Bavaria, Germany) is an Australian novelist, essayist and poet. She lived in North Carlton and then Elwood/Caulfield (suburbs of Melbourne) from 1948 to ...

about

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

survivors in the United States.

Plot

Up to a point, the novel is somewhat autobiographical: The author was born in Germany in 1946 and came to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia with her parents in 1948. She is married to painter David Rankin; they have three children and currently live in New York. The novel chronicles the lives of a group of Jews – or rather, a Jewish family – in the U.S.A., in particular New York City, over a period of roughly seven months during 1991 and 1992. There is little action. Rather, the novel describes in greater detail the feelings of the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

and what goes on in her immediate surroundings. Most of the characters in the novel are Jewish, and the reader gets a vivid picture of the lives of

assimilated Jew Jewish assimilation ( he, התבוללות, ''hitbolelut'') refers either to the gradual cultural assimilation and social integration of Jews in their surrounding culture or to an ideological program in the age of emancipation promoting conform ...

s in the U.S.A. It is told by a third person narrator who is very close to Esther Zepler's thoughts. There are frequent flashbacks to both the distant and the not-so-distant past and numerous references to

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

Characters

*Edek Zepler – a

survivor born Edek Zeleznikow *Rooshka Zepler – his wife *Esther Zepler – daughter to Edek and Rooshka, protagonist *Sonia Kaufman – Esther's best friend *Josl & Henia Borenstein – Edek's friends from the old country, Holocaust survivors *Joseph & Laraine Reiser – rich New York Jews

Awards

''Just Like That'' was awarded the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction in 1995.

References

{{Reflist 1994 American novels Novels about the aftermath of the Holocaust Novels by Lily Brett Macmillan Publishers books Novels set in New York City