At daybreak the wind began to blow hard again, and the heavens seemed to predict a gale (Jules Verne)

Wie geht's?

I don't often read three books concurrently, but I have this past week (second and last week of my term break).

Not simultaneously yunnerstand - I read a chapter or two at a time and rotate them until I'm done.

Usually I find that difficult but somehow these three books have worked well in rotation.

The three: Martin Chuzzlewit (it's a biggie -800 pages long so it's taking a while - I'm a bit over halfway); Around The World In 80 Days (Jules Verne's classic); and Diana Wichtel's Driving To Treblinka.

The Jules Verne because we watched the TV show on demand recently - it was okay, and the film version with Steve Coogan and Jackie Chan (rubbish! And I love Jackie Chan). I am keen to rewatch the Michael Palin documentary from 1988, as I have good memories of it, and have had to buy the DVD set on TradeMe. It's not available via streaming, YouTube or to buy new so TradeMe it is.

It's Driving To Treblinka that was finished first.

I knew Diana briefly when our lives intersected in the early 1980s when we were both studying for our masters degrees in English at Auckland University. She was Diana Alpers then as she was married to Philip Alpers. During that time she left Philip, started up with her new partner, Chris, and changed back to her maiden name.

Driving To Treblinka is about her search for information on her father, but it doubles as her autobiography.

As I knew her, albeit briefly, I was keen to read it and see if she mentioned me. Ha ha.  

She doesn't btw. Smiley face.

It was still fun reading her story leading up to the years I knew her. I had no idea what her life had been like up to that point. How much do we ever really know about anyone?

In truth, she was more of an acquaintance, rather than a close friend, because she shared a work space in the English Department offices with Margo. At that time I think she'd started a PhD - hence the office space.

I knew she was Canadian because she spoke with a Canadian accent (without the Canadian 'eh') but that was about it. We attended some mutual parties, I'd say hi when visiting Margo, which I did that a lot - Margo was an amazingly brilliant person and deserves a book of her own, and then we all left University. Margo went into advertising, I went to New Plymouth and Diana started writing a TV column for The Listener.

We haven't seen each other since and she hasn't returned my Facebook friend request (yet).

Her book is excellent by the way - really engrossing despite all of the Polish names and the unfathomable horror of the Treblinka death camp (which her father miraculously escapes but the rest of his immediate family does not).

As with Passepartout, Mr Pinch, and Mr Fogg, I cheered her on as she negotiated the search and the fallout from her dedicated pursuit.

She's a hell of a writer! 

Love and peace - WNP