Becca had not learned anything from the museum and called the journey an, "anticlimax" (88). It wasn't until after she and Stan had returned home that they came across anything noteworthy. Stan and Becca were reviewing Gemma's documents over lunch one day when Stan had the idea of enlarging the last permanent address that Gemma had crossed out. They got a name, Kulmhof, but Becca couldn't find it in any atlas. It wasn't until Stan gave Becca the man they met in New York business card, Harvey Goldman. When Becca had questioned Goldman about the place he became very freaked out and answered that Kulmhof was, "in the darkest regions of hell", (96). He also tells her that Kulmhof wasn't even an concentration camp but an extermination camp and no woman ever made it out alive. So, Gemma was indeed in Europe during WW2. How did she ever escape the extermination camp? We'll just have to wait and see.
SOMETHING ELSE: I have noticed that this story is very different between Fairy Tales in general, and if Gemma was indeed Briar Rose, then where is the prince that awoke her? Who is Eve's (Becca's mom) father? Is he the man that saved Gemma? All, we know is that this is completely different from traditional Fairy Tale telling. Once again, the princess has made a life for herself in a completely forgein country with no family and no help. Who needs Prince Charming aferall?
Another thing I found interesting was in a flashback chapter (ch.15) where a little boy who is listening to Gemma tell the story asks her what the song means that is in the story. The song is polish and when Gemma translates for him we find out that it means, "I ran and ran for twenty miles until I came upon a house. Sir! Give me a piece of bread; Look at me: I'm pale and dead. I had already washed and said the blessing when in walked the kidnappers"(99). Now both Becca and the little boy are very confused becuase there are no kidnappers in the Briar Rose story, however Gemma doesn't go on to explain. This is where Gemma may be putting some of her own story into the Fairy Tale. That maybe she finally found refuge in some house, but was found anyway and maybe that was when she was taken to Kulmhof.
Also, I've come up with an idea of why Gemma would put her story into a Fairy Tale. Often times a person's experiences are to hard to just tell becuase it cause to much pain, however they still want their story to be heard. And, in order to do so they put it into something that is supposed to be happy and fun and still pass down their life journey to someone who they love.
Nicole
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