International Literature Book Review: The Pebble

 A. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Marius Marcinkevicius. The Pebble. 23 Feb. 2023.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
The Pebble is a simple, but meaningful novel written by Marius Marcinkevicius. This author is of Lithuanian decent, and this book reflects subtle features of this culture. The Pebble is a story about a boy in Eastern Europe during the time of the Holocaust. He finds a pebble, but this small object takes on much greater meaning over time.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

This book is compelling and makes you think deeply about the experience of these people during this horrific time in history. There are several themes throughout the book like despair and hope, reflection of the past but also fear of the future and love and loss. There is a lot of specific information given about the setting and events in this novel, but I wouldn’t say it is necessarily reflective of a specific culture. The story to exemplify the culture of Eastern Europeans. Some Cultural Markers that I observed in this book were how the people interacted and entertained themselves. There are also characteristics that explain experiences of these people before the Holocaust and during that time. This book is described as an “Allegory of the Holocaust.” An allegory being a “a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.” This book seems like a good introduction to children about the Holocaust. It would create good conversation to expand upon. This book in published in 6 editions, being published in English and other languages. I am quantifying this book as a novel based on the content, the length of the book and the characters’ experiences.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
“A sensitively written and illustrated story about a young Jewish boy growing up in the horrors of World War II.” – Good Reads

E. CONNECTIONS
This book is described as an “Allegory of the Holocaust.” An allegory being a “a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.” This book seems like a good introduction to children about the Holocaust. It would create good conversation to expand upon.

By Barbara Jean Thompson