The Crystal Vase by Astrid Goldsmith

ACHUKA Book of the Day 5 Jun 2026

Publisher: Jonahan Cape ISBN: 9781787334311

“What’s extraordinary about The Crystal Vase is just how much family history Goldsmith manages to squeeze into 200 pages without overloading the narrative. She takes us as far back as Kristallnacht in 1938, when the Nazis ransacked [Astrid’s grandmother’s] magnificent childhood home in Bad Homburg, smashing everything to pieces.” Observer “One of the book’s great strengths is its tonal balance. Goldsmith writes with warmth and sharp humour, finding comedy in family negotiations and absurd demands without diminishing the weight of historical loss. The strained yet affectionate relationship between father and daughter grounds the story emotionally, showing how inheritance is as much about responsibility and misunderstanding as it is about love.” VoiceMag “History is made tangible.” Financial Times

This memoir in graphic novel format, by the stop-motion animator Astrid Goldsmith, is published on an adult list but can be recommended for young adults, especially those interested in the history of Jewish displacement.

When her imperious, chain-smoking German Jewish grandmother dies, it falls to Astrid and her father to drive a hire van to the Black Forest and collect the family heirlooms from Gisela’s nicotine-stained apartment.

In Freiburg, they are faced with several lifetimes’ worth of belongings to sort through — infested Persian rugs, mysterious photographs, a toy monkey that started a marriage — and a grasping landlord, impatient to renovate.

As the list of demands from uncles, sisters and cousins grows longer, the rabbit-holes of history and memory grow deeper. Long-buried secrets and tales of survival are revealed — from Nazi Germany to colonial Africa — and old feuds are reignited, as father and daughter struggle with the responsibility of preserving the family legacy. More importantly, will they be able to fit everything into a medium wheel-base transit van?

Funny, bittersweet and beautifully drawn, The Crystal Vase is an odyssey of family arguments, identity crises, and late discoveries.

Follow Astrid on Instagram:

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Here is a short film about Mock Duck Studios, her other career as an animator:

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Originally published at https://www.achuka.co.uk on June 5, 2026.