'' Fugitive Pieces '' contains themes of trauma , grief , loss , and memory , primarily in relation to the Holocaust , which Michaels explores via metaphors such as nature . The work is told in a poetic style , which has caused some critics to view it as an elegy , and others , such as Donna Coffey , to feel that it re-imagines the literary telling of the Holocaust and also of nature . The story is told through two narratives , in the first part , Jakob 's , then in the second part , Ben 's , which are connected through one main event that had an effect on both narrators . John Mullan has stated that he feels that the book shows how the Holocaust and traumatic moments can impact generations of survivors and their family members . '' Fugitive Pieces '' also contains mentions of the senses , which are shown through an emphasis of Jakob hearing what happened to his family , rather than seeing the event take place , which in turns adds to his trauma and his inability to gain closure . Similarly , Ben has only heard stories but never had first hand experience . Michaels uses this to convey a paradox between what we hear , the language , and then the silence that follows due to the suffering and trauma of others
one main event
The Holocaust
Fugitive Pieces