Published by Gallery Books Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, War
Format: ARC, eBook
Dus zent ir
Yona was two years old when she was taken from her Berlin home by an 82-year-old woman named Jerusza. The woman claimed she was saving Yona from her ‘bad’ parents. The woman teaches Yona how to live off the land, to survive and endure.
When Jerusza dies in 1941, Yona believes she will be alone forever. When she finds a group of Jews fleeing the Nazis, she is stunned to hear what is happening in the world. She has been raised to not trust, to avoid people, to live and to stay safe. Yona decides to help them. They do not have the skills to survive in the wild, she is determined to teach them and in return, they become her family. Reeling from a betrayal, Yona ventures into a nearby German occupied village and her past collides with her present in devastating ways.
“In the times of greatest darkness, the light always shines through, because there are people who stand up to do brave, decent things.”
I shared in other reviews that I have a family member who was in Auschwitz. So many aspects of this book resonated with me – surviving against all odds, the beauty and strength in people, the cruelty in others, grief, loss, survivors’ guilt and the desire to live, to give and to love. Ma was the strongest woman I ever knew. She had PTSD and tremendous survivor’s guilt. Yet she had a strength inside her that was unparalleled.
“-home is not a place, but the people you choose to love.”
The characters in this book had incredible strength as well. How do you survive the unthinkable? Yona was a unique character and I enjoyed watching her grow, learn and find her way. To learn the meaning of family and what it felt to be a part of one. Jerusza was a gem. I was hoping for more of her, for more of her backstory. Yes, she was a kidnapper, but she was also a tough lady and I instantly was captivated by her character. I also enjoyed how she ‘knew’ or ‘sensed’ things’. I enjoyed the magical realism part of the book, it really added to the story for me.
I found this book to be beautifully written and moving. It evokes emotion and has several tense moments. I was engrossed in the story and went back and re-read several passages and found myself highlighting sections which spoke to me.
The Author’s note at the end should be mandatory. It in moving. Harmel shares the research she did in writing this book, the people she spoke to, and her inspiration for writing it.
Riveting, Emotional and Engrossing.
A MUST read!
***Inspired by true stories of survival.
Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.