Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.
I was fascinated by this book! It's not your typical WWII novel. It was a mystery and a love story and was full of surprises. It was also heart-wrenching and full of loss, grief, and all of the other emotions that come along with war time.
It is one of my favorite books that I've read this year because I couldn't put it down! I was intrigued the whole time and couldn't wait to find out what happened next!
I also loved that it went back and forth between the two stories and how they were intertwined.
As I went to the Holocaust museum in D.C. this summer I loved that they designed it to be a reflective experience where everything they have curated is not the answer, but a question. Why does something like the Holocaust happen? How do so many people get on board with creating such a horrific time in our world's history, and how can we prevent something like this from ever happening again?
After learning about the Vel' d'Hiv and how France was involved with the Holocaust, I can't imagine the pain and uncertainty that Sarah's family went through.
This novel does end with hope though and I think that's the most important thing that keeps us going. Amidst the tragedy that our world has seen and been through, there is always hope for a brighter tomorrow.
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