KRAUS FAMILY AWARD WINNER FOR BEST AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR AT THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARDS
WINNER OF THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE

‘Beautifully told' – John le Carré
‘More than just history’ – Michael Palin

In this remarkably moving memoir, Ariana Neumann dives into the secrets of her father’s past: years spent hiding in plain sight in wartorn Berlin, the annihilation of dozens of family members in the Holocaust, and the courageous choice to build anew.

When her father dies and leaves her a box of clues, Ariana Neumann uncovers a heritage she knew nothing about. Exploring the joys and sorrows of the Neumann family, she learns through her tireless investigations why her father, a successful entrepreneur in Venezuela, never spoke about his past. How as a young man from Prague he boldly deceived the Gestapo by doing the unimaginable.

Spanning nearly ninety years, this is an unforgettable memoir about resilience, hope and love in the midst of tragedy. A tribute to the lost, and a celebration of all that connects us, and of the courage it takes to keep going. Because the darkest shadow always lies beneath the candle.
 

"The story Neumann uncovers is worthy of fiction with hairpin plot twists, daredevil acts of love and unexpected moments of humor in dark times. Given the slew of colorful characters and dramatic details, she could have turned her painstaking research into a historical novel. Instead she has written a superb family memoir that unfolds its poignant power on multiple levels. Yes, her account of one Jewish-Czech family’s race to outwit the Nazis makes for thrilling reading. But just as important is her lucid investigation of the nature of memory, identity and remembrance." - The New York Times Book Review

"‘Neumann’s efforts to tell [her father] Hans’s story chronologically, rather than in the order she unravelled the mystery, is especially effective. At times the revelations are so extraordinary to modern eyes that the memoir has an almost fictional feel.’" - Financial Times

"‘… to unearth such stories takes great determination, patience and sensitivity, not least because so many of those who survived did so by suppressing the truth.  ‘Sometimes you have to leave the past where it is – in the past,’ Hans told his daughter.  But he didn’t entirely let it go, and nor, on his and our behalf, did she.’" - The Guardian

"‘Compelling … brilliant …This remarkable, beautifully written book is full of sadness but it also full of great beauty and joy.’" - Daily Mail, Book of the Week

"‘A meticulously researched, gripping and poignant memoir.’ " - The Observer

"‘[When Time Stopped is] a treasure to be savored as testament of the human will to survive.’" - The Spectator

"‘Full of tales of courage … this meticulously researched work is unforgettable.’" - Sunday Mirror

"‘This book will be an important addition to Holocaust literature … we have heard many of the atrocities recounted in these pages before. But we must go on hearing them. This is a very fine book indeed.’" - The TLS

"‘Extraordinary life-affirming book of survival against the odds, of love and hope, and the threads of humanity that unite us all’" - Surrey Life

"‘… a book of exhaustive historical scholarship and profound emotional dedication.’" - The Jewish Chronicle

"‘A beautifully wrought book that is both a detective story and a family history.’" - The Times of Israel

"‘Occasionally there appears a book so devastating that the only response is stunned silence … When Time Stopped is about the triumph of the human spirit.’" - The Oldie

"‘This deeply personal narrative tells the story of Ariana Neumann’s family, many of whom were killed by Nazis, and grapples with Neumann’s attempt to uncover secrets left behind by her Holocaust-survivor father after his death.’" - Vogue

"‘Reads like a thriller and it is so, so timely. The work and emotion put into [the] book is unbelievable.’ " - Buzzfeed

"‘Lucidly-written, this is a gripping, heart-wrenching journey back to wartime Prague and Berlin. Ariana Neumann has written the book that her remarkable father simply couldn’t.’" - Sunday Telegraph