Isaac has become a successful writer, which makes Leo happy, because he believes that Isaac inherited his talent from him. Leo is good friends with Bruno, whom he knows from childhood, and who has also immigrated to the United States. Leo is a fragile old man, frequently contemplating his own mortality. He becomes a locksmith, and frequently observes Isaac from a distance, wishing he could be a part of his son’s life. Alma refuses to leave with Leo, but does tell him about his son, Isaac, who is now five years old. When Leo makes it to America, Leo finds Alma, but she thought he’d been killed in the war and has married the son of a factory-owner. He is forced to hide for three and a half years before he is able to leave for the United States in search of Alma. When the Germans invade Poland, Leo hides in the woods, surviving on roots, small game, and food he steals from farmers’ cellars. Leo, left behind, pines for the day when he can follow her to America. At 20-years-old, Alma is sent to the United States by her father, who fears the rise of European fascism. As a sign of his love, Leo writes three books for her. Over the next ten years, the two young people form a relationship, and Leo promises to only ever love Alma. He’s in love with his neighbor, Alma Mereminski. The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss, opens seventy years in the past, with Leo Gursky, a 10-year-old Polish Jew.
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