March 1944: War's darkest period descends upon Hungary's Jews. By the time it ends, over half a million Jews will have been murdered. Gratitude tells the story of that period, through a group of people whom terrible circumstance has thrown together, and of lives and loves saved and lost.

A brilliant exploration with deep humanity of the complexities of the human psyche in its darkest hour.

"From the dramatic opening pages, readers will be thrilled. The writing is so skilful that you must read on—and you'll want the book never to end."
—Wayson Choy

"Gratitude grabbed me and wouldn’t let go; I found it totally engrossing. It is a huge, sprawling novel, yet beautifully precise. Gratitude brings new life to well-known history, but the lasting strength of this wonderful book is its people, in all their flaws and glories. It is a massive achievement."
—Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, winner of the Man Booker Prize

"Gratitude is a rich, grand novel. It reveals the complexity of human psychology and motivations. It shows the fate and the cruelty and generosity of human beings caught in the violence of history. Joseph Kertes writes with tremendous skill, strength, and passion, which make reading this book sheer pleasure. Stylistically and thematically, it is a remarkable achievement."
—Ha Jin, author of Waiting and War Trash

"Gratitude is a tragic story of our times—lyrical and wonderfully accomplished."
—M.G. Vassanji

“Kertes leavens the grim material with a few lighter scenes of the Becks trying to make the most of a horrible situation, which goes a long way to making them an endearing and memorable group, while the author's straightforward style moves the story along at a healthy clip.”
—Publishers Weekly, August 24, 2009

 “From family members’ abstract interior monologues railing against the injustice of their plight to small, telling details—a pot of stew left boiling in a home suddenly abandoned—Kertes captures both the inhumanity of the perpetrators and the resilience of the survivors.”
—Booklist, September 1, 2009

“Warmly recommended for all readers with an interest in this era.”
——Library Journal, September 15, 2009

“…Kertes masterfully weaves in bits of devastating beauty.”
—San Francisco Book Review, November 09 (Vol. 1, Issue 3)

"A major novel that spills over with humanity—by a master story-teller..."
—Bruce Jay Friedman

“Harrowing and extraordinarily moving...The characters are wonderfully vibrant”
—National Post

“[A] splendid, page-turning novel...Gratitude is as rich in its picturesque detail as it is in its spellbinding faith [in] man's ultimate humanity.”
—The Globe and Mail

“Kertes seeks to honour the best of us from the worst of times”
—Edmonton Journal