Tony Bernard’s book, The Ghost Tattoo, is the unburnished true account of his father’s experience as a Polish Jew living through the Holocaust and its impact on him ever after. I’m no stranger to a Holocaust story but there is something utterly magical about this one. The story keeps you on the edge of wonder as Tony does a slow reveal about the causes of his father’s deep anguish and regret. I kept speculating about aspects of Henry’s anguish but not once was I tempted to leaf ahead and get the answers. I was hanging on Tony’s every word and that was down to how well Tony writes; carefully observed, clear, natural and spare. You feel like you’re having a conversation with him.
To me Tony’s book is a love letter to the father he so admired and respected and who he ultimately came to understand. Henry gives every appearance of being on top of things. He’s a hardworking, much respected GP on the Northern Beaches with a wide circle of friends and three healthy children who all followed in their father’s footsteps and became doctors.
On the inside Henry harboured a deep shame about what he had done during World War II. From 1970 onwards he began opening up to Tony about his life during those years. Tony listened with half an ear but as time passed, and as he accompanied Henry on many trips to Poland and Germany, Tony started listening with both ears. Over time it became clear to Tony that Henry had designated him the role of family historian to explain Henry’s dilemma to the world.
I can’t give away what Henry’s dilemma was, you need to read the book. What I can reveal is that the choices Henry made filled him with life-long regret and little peace. Yet as Tony points out, the question for any of us if put in Henry’s situation is to ask yourself what would you do?
As I read the book I couldn’t stop thinking about the impact of Henry’s life, and his insistent retelling in his later years of what he had witnessed and done, on Tony. It felt like such a heavy burden. In the book Tony says his father repeated the stories and details to him so many times that he felt like he had actually been there himself. Can you imagine?
Tony doesn’t present as someone burdened by his father’s past. In the time I spent with him I was struck by his ready smile, his ease and animated way of speaking about this subject. His encyclopaedic knowledge made me realise that when he said, “this book has consumed my life for 16 years” was no exaggeration. Tony was obsessed with producing an absolutely accurate record. Tony’s medical training meant that every detail needed to be evidence-based. The thorough research, validation and care Tony has put into this is evident. Yet the story is un-putdownable – it’s compelling and it’s equal parts heartbreaking and uplifting.
I can’t think of a better Father’s Day gift or a better example of why we should seek out the stories of our parents, even if they’re reluctant, and no matter what the story reveals. Henry Bernard felt it was his duty to tell future generations what he had witnessed. No one could have honoured their father’s wishes better than his son Tony.
Visit tonybernard.com.au for more insights into The Ghost Tattoo, available from all good bookshops. Pick up a signed copy at Humphreys Manly.