After years of resistance to the thought of selling her home, where she raised her family, octogenarian Elaine Greenstein has finally decided to move into a retirement community. While packing years worth of possessions, Elaine unearths a clue to finding her twin sister, who disappeared from their predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Boyle Heights, California when she was only eighteen. After stumbling on the clue about her sister's disappearance, Elaine begins to retell her family's stories--everything from her mother's immigration to the United States to growing up as the "smart" twin instead of the "popular" one to her Zayde (Yiddish for grandfather) to reasons why her sister disappeared and the fallout from her sister's long ago disappearance.
Janice Steinberg's
The Tin Horse is an excellent example of telling stories to remember. The author has done a wonderful job of intertwining Elaine's flashbacks as well as modern day Elaine's quest for her sister. With extreme detail to historical research and Jewish tradition, Steinberg has done a wonderful job of illustrating just how important family stories are to remembering those we love--a concept we should all aspire to.
