Written as literature more than as memory, Anna Sput-Stern’s book is not, strictly speaking a memoir. The book contains a series of short stories, ‘episodes’ in her life as well as in the lives of people she knows. The book is divided into two parts. Book I: On the other side of the river contains short stories about Anna’s and others’ war-time experiences. Book II: Beyond rivers and oceans tells of various experiences of immigrants in post-war Australia. Some of Anna’s stories are about herself, others are about people she knows or has met. The stories are not connected to one another; rather they are an eclectic collection of anecdotes – short, isolated episodes.
