It has taken me a bit to find the right words to describe this book. Hesse is nothing short of masterful when it comes to writing gripping, heart breaking, raw, powerful, and soul shattering historical fiction novels. This book did all of that and so much more.
One thing I found utterly fascinating about this story was how unreliable Zofia was as a narrator. Even after being liberated, she had a very hard time remembering things correctly, such as her town before everything took place. Like many, she was traumatized during her time in concentration camps so it was understandable how shaky her memories would be. All of this made me connect to the story that much more. I simply had to know what happened and if Zofia was able to locate her brother, whom she was separated from in the beginning. My heart went out to her constantly. She had such a long journey ahead of her and I wanted nothing more than to give her a hug and help her.
This story made me uncomfortable, as it should, simply because these events took place in real life. I adore how Hesse has not been afraid to write stories about true events to bring them to light. Events like these need to be told and people need to know. Their stories should not be forgotten. The war simply did not end when the people were liberated from the concentration camps, those people were scared for life. They had to find a way to live their life again the best way they knew how, even after all of the horrific trauma they endured.
Do I recommend this book? You bet your sweet tush I do. I recommend all of Hesse’s books and will forever do so. She is an auto-buy author for me and I will continue to be one of her biggest fans & faithful reader. Please read this one if you have not already, but make sure to have some kleenex handy.
A Gingerly Review 