The Warsaw Anagrams by Richard Zimler

Richard Zimler’s The Warsaw Anagrams is a historical mystery set against the harrowing backdrop of the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. The narrative follows Erik Cohen, an elderly psychiatrist who returns as an ibbur, or wandering spirit, to recount the tragic events surrounding the murder of his nephew, Adam. Through a manuscript discovered years later by a survivor named Heniek Corben, the text details Erik’s desperate investigation into a series of child killings while navigating the starvation and brutality of Nazi-occupied Poland. Assisted by his friend Izzy, Erik’s quest for justice leads him through a landscape of moral complexity, exploring themes of grief, resistance, and the preservation of Jewish identity. Ultimately, the novel serves as a fictional testimony to the unique lives lost during the Shoah, blending supernatural elements with stark historical realism.