Solly Kaplinski

A World of Pains Solly Kaplinski

Just imagine that you have committed a crime so horrific and heinous that in order to go on with your normal life, you repress it completely. Then, one day, out of the clear blue, many years later, those memories resurface and shatter your life, as you know it. This story focuses on human frailty, the 'banality of evil' and personal accountability. Weaving back and forth from war-torn Lithuania during the Shoah and New York in the late 90's, the historical context of the Holocaust is the backdrop of the dastardly deeds and the turbulent emotions of the protagonist when confronting his repressed memories. The narrative begs the question: can there ever be forgiveness? And also, what are appropriate punishments for unimaginable crimes? Could you forgive someone that you love who had done such a thing? More importantly, if it were you, could you forgive yourself? This novella is a memorial to family members who perished in the forests of Vilnius during the Shoah.