Review: Thought provoking and educational
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 4, 2014
Most of us are aware that there were many, many horrors associated with World War II.  But as the years pass, the details, and the scope of the war is being forgotten.  "At God's Mercy" recounts an intriguing tale of twin baby boys, born in Poland during the world, but somehow, rescued and brought to the United States, where they were adopted by 2 different families.  Neither twin knew of the existence of the other, but both had vivid dreams, and snippets of memories that were unexplained.  At 52 years of age, a letter asking him to participate in a study about twins separated at a young age starts off the reunion, and as the brothers look at their mirror image, face to face, there is one startling difference.  One brother is a priest, the other a rabbi.  Not only do they have their sibling to get to know, but now they are both questioning their heritage.  They go to Poland, to try to find answers to their questions, and learn the meaning of the dreams they have shared.I won't go into further details on the story line - others have recounted a lot of it, and the enjoyment of any book is to discover things yourself, in your own way.  There is a mystery that they need to solve, in order to put together the pieces of their past, leading to who they are today.  A very well crafted story, and it certainly got me thinking how I would react if I faced finding out I wasn't who I believe I am.On the negative side, I had trouble figuring out the time frame of the story.  It was clear that the twins are 52 years old, and later in the book they are looking for information about twins born around 1944, which would make the time period of the book 1996.  But several people carried cell phones, and there was even service in some very remote areas of Poland, where one would not expect cell towers in 1996.  The story jumps from dreams and flashbacks to the current real time, which can be a little disconcerting until the reader is sure where they are.  The time line from the brothers meeting to when they were in Poland seemed to happen in the blink of an eye, with not enough transition.  I would have liked to read more about their individual POV and angst at the events that brought them to where they are.  It would have added even more depth to the story, and involved the reader on a more personal level.  And as other reviewers have said, I would really have liked further exploration and information about the church's involvement, and how they had become separated.This should be read by anyone with an interest in history, and understanding just a little more of how we have become who we are.