Wow is all I can say. I was a little uncertain when I picked this one up. I wasn't sure whether it would really be my thing. Because honestly, a lot of novels I've read set during or about the Holocaust are so awful, so heartbreaking, and so graphic that I just end up wishing those images weren't trapped in my head forever. This book was written for those, who, whether we'd like to admit it or not, would rather forget how awful humans can be. Before I get into this, here's a quick outline of the book (without giving too much away):
The book follows Julia Jarmond, a middle aged American living in Paris with her french husband and their 11 year old daughter. Julia works for a magazine and is given the assignment of covering the 60 year anniversary of the 1942 roundups and deportations of Jewish families in Paris.
Julia soon learns that the apartment she and her husband are moving into once belonged to one such deported and dispossessed family. She vows to find out who they were and what happened to them.
What I loved about this book was that it weaves the past and present together into a cohesive and fascinating story. I love that it addresses the fact that most Parisians would like to forget the round ups ever happened, or failing that, would like to blame the Germans. I like that this book is a friendly reminder that everyone at the time wasn't an innocent victim. Neighbours were turning on each other. The city police organized the raids. In fact that the Germans didn't have nearly as much to do with it as we'd like to think. I think this book is a good reminder about the necessity of standing up for what is right, about the consequences of your actions or in this case, so many people's inaction. And how at the end of the day, the past doesn't always disappear.
No comments:
Post a Comment