Historical Novel Review: “Another Ocean To Cross” by Ann Griffin

“Another Ocean to Cross”
By Ann Griffin

is the remarkable story of Renata, a Jewish woman managing to flee Germany in 1938 and her subsequent journey via Italy and Greece to Egypt. It seems one of the lesser known events of the WW2 era how many people escaped to Syria and Egypt once Palestine was closed to immigrants and this novel describes one of these journeys in well researched detail. While the description of the prosecution of Jews in the book adds not much new for regular readers of the genre, Renata is a fascinating character with many conflicts and her epic journey moves to and ends in unexpected places.
There are minor issues, such as creating a sense of location via inserted German and French phrases while people of the same Nationality speak with each other, but they shouldn’t interfere too much with the enjoyment of an otherwise rather…