THE ART COLLECTOR'S WIFE

Knecht braids Holocaust survival, art-world skullduggery, and the perils of youthful defiance into a sprawling multigenerational family saga and debut novel.

Knecht’s novel begins in 1945, and the setting is Poland’s infamous Auschwitz extermination camp, where prisoner Lila Lesser miraculously carries her son Leo out alive (who is later tragically shot and killed) after the Allies liberate the camp. By the 1960s, Lila is raising her granddaughter Isabel in Venice, keeping close ties to her lifelong friend Miriam. Haunted by her husband Albert’s betrayals and his celebrated art collection (along with its murky legacy), Lila remains stubbornly silent about the past. Isabel, restless and daring, grows determined to uncover her family’s secrets—and finds herself entangled with Niccolo, the son of a brutish upholsterer with criminal ties. Their relationship leads her into the dangerous orbit of Signor Gritti and the mysterious “Corbeau,” men whose designs on the Lesser Collection threaten both Isabel and her inheritance. Knecht situates Isabel’s adolescent rebellion against the backdrop of stolen masterpieces, forbidden romances, and Venice’s fading grandeur. The novel adroitly explores, among other themes, how memory and trauma shape survival. Lila reflects on the legacy of the art collection Albert once guarded: “‘You must show them but never sell them,’ Albert said long before the SS discovered her….And Lila hasn’t sold the art, not ever, not even to repay her business debts.” The collection becomes both burden and salvation, a symbol of promises broken and loyalties tested. Knecht excels at evoking atmosphere: At one point, Isabel imagines “willing herself and the woman and the three little dogs to be the royal subjects of a lush Renaissance painting.” Yet the beauty of Venice contrasts sharply with its underbelly of deceit, greed, and lingering antisemitism. Lila’s character, however, is the most resonant; her mixture of stoicism and bitterness grounds the narrative. Isabel’s voice, though sometimes melodramatic, captures the turbulence of adolescence. Secondary figures like Miriam and Morgenfeld add depth, embodying different modes of survival—warmth, denial, and complicity.

A richly atmospheric debut that confronts how art, memory, and silence shape families in the long shadow of the Holocaust.