The Umbrella Maker’s Son: A Novel of WWII

DEBUT Emmy-winning film producer and director Lending tells the harrowing tale of love’s impact on the will to survive. Reuven is 17 years old when the Nazis invade his middle-class Polish town of Krakow, take control of his father’s umbrella-making business, and force his family out of their apartment. Across town, his girlfriend Zelda, whom he plans to marry, and her family are packing to move to the countryside. As Reuven sees her family off, he vows to find and reconnect with her as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Reuven and his father endure arduous physical labor under the Nazis until the family can escape Krakow, where they will seek shelter in Przemyśl or die trying. In Przemyśl, Reuven is found and taken in by a local farmer, who gives him food and shelter as he heals from a gunshot wound and eventually puts Reuven to work in his fields. Still determined to find Zelda, Reuven eventually leaves the farm and faces perilous conditions as he returns to Krakow to search for the love of his life.