The Hare with Amber Eyes

I discovered another book last week, "The Hare with Amber Eyes" by Edmund de Waal. This is a beautifully written account of a Jewish family's experiences during the twentieth century. Edmund de Waal now lives in London and is an well known potter, with work in many collections. He himself inherited a collection of netsukes, traditional Japanese miniature carvings, from his uncle, who lived in Japan with his lover.

But the collection had been in the family long before this, as it had been purchased by a distant relative who lived in Paris during the early 1900s. He duly presented it to a cousin as a wedding present and so it went to Vienna. Somehow it survived the Anschluss in 1938 and became linked with the family again.

De Waal traces the story back to the original purchase of these pieces, and thus he tells the story of the twentieth century, but in such an exquisite and beautifully written way. I have just started to read the book and knew from the first pages that I was in for a treat. The author writes both a family history and a political history with great sensitivity and aesthetic awareness, as well as with a subtle sense of distance and gentle ironic detachment.

If you would like to read Veronica Horwell's review please go to www.guardian.co.uk and search for "Cabinet of marvels".