In "The Hare with Amber Eyes," Edmund de Waal weaves a mesmerizing narrative that stretches across the tapestry of a century, tracing the journey of a singular collection of netsuke—small, intricate Japanese carvings—from the opulent salons of Belle Époque Paris to the dark days of World War II. At the heart of this story is the Ephrussi family, once as illustrious as the Rothschilds, whose fortunes mirrored the tumultuous shifts of the twentieth century. Through de Waal's meticulous research and evocative prose, these tiny masterpieces emerge not merely as objects of aesthetic delight but as silent witnesses to the joys and tragedies of a vanished world. As the current keeper of these 264 wood and ivory carvings, de Waal embarks on a profound journey of discovery, unearthing the lost stories of his ancestors and the netsuke's remarkable survival through times of prosperity and despair. From the hands of Charles Ephrussi, an art aficionado who mingled with the Impressionists in Paris, to a maid who risked everything to protect them, each chapter in the netsuke's history reveals layers of family lore intertwined with the broader history of European Jewry. "The Hare with Amber Eyes" stands as a luminous testament to the endurance of art and the resilience of family bonds against the backdrop of war and displacement, inviting readers into a world where even the smallest object can hold the vastness of history.