Bought second-hand at Ex Nihilo

The narrator, Martin, a young Jewish boy in London at the beginning of WWII, sees his life changed when his parents take in a Polish virtuoso violinist of about the same age, while his father returns to his wife in Warsaw and is never seen again. Martin and Dovidl become inseparable friends up to their university days. The day Dovidl is supposed to perform in his first concert, he disappears.
At first I wasn't sure I was going to like the book as the style, like Martin, seemed stuffy. From the moment of Dovid's disappearance, the narrative changes pace and gathers momentum as we find out what happened to him. The subject matter is unusual and original; it taught me a lot about the managerial aspects of classical music concerts and awards, and the rituals of Judaism; I found the passage about the Song of Names to be very emotional. The ending is especially well crafted. An excellent, erudite book, even if I never warmed to Martin.