Tag: Concentration Camp

My love for Historical Fiction is pretty clear, and this book can be added to the ones that make a real impact.

What makes this story stand out from other ones that focus on concentration camp life is that it’s largely told via the points of view of two children.

Rachel is 17 when her family farm is taken. and she is forced to run with her two brothers and younger sister Mindel who had just turned four. When they are separated, both girls try to find their way back to each other.  

While Rachel’s harrowing experiences are similar to those in other stories, I believe this is the first time I have ever read about camp life from a young child’s point of view.

The chapters involving Mindel were both informative and disturbing. It is sickening to think that children that young were targeted with beatings and horrific treatment, and it certainly brings the animalistic nature of the Nazis into harsh light.

But I was also interested in their methods of coping. Mindel’s “gang” played versions of cops and robbers (but instead were Nazis and Jews) and took bets on which prisoner was going to die next.

While it certainly is morbid and dark thinking (especially for a four-year-old!), it is indicative of the spirit that must have been necessary to get through the days however possible. I also found the bond between Laszlo and Mindel to be quite touching.

I also appreciated that the author included real people in the camps that Rachel is in. I don’t want to say more than that, but it lent an air of authenticity and reality to the story. In other words, Rachel’s story wasn’t in a vacuum, but could have belonged to anyone in any camp.

The scenes involving the Orphan Camp and Mother Brinkmann were also unique. They were a good reminder of the goodness of some people, and it was a nice break (albeit often short) to read the descriptions of children acting like children (like the scene with the shoes).

Even if you’ve read several historical fiction books centered on the camps and experiences of people at them (like I have) I would definitely recommend this one for its unique perspectives and message of unwavering hope.

Author Bio:

Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to “discover the world” and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she’s now living with her family.

Inspired by the true story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime, she started writing historical fiction, set during World War II. Her books are filled with raw emotions, fierce loyalty and resilience. She loves to put her characters through the mangle, making them reach deep within to find the strength to face moral dilemma, take difficult decisions or fight for what is right. And she never forgets to include humor and undying love in her books, because ultimately love is what makes the world go round.

I appreciate when an author has the bravery to tell it like it is and not sanitize events or people for the sake of “propriety” or correctness.

This is one of the most brutally honest historical fiction books I have read in recent memory.

(That’s not to say that others were not factual, because that’s not the case – I’ve read some great ones lately).

But this book is filled with detailed descriptions of the ins and outs of a concentration camp – arguably one of the worst of the worst.

From the attitudes of the Nazis who run the camp to the prisoners who have their own “caste” system within the camp, everything rang horribly realistic.

That constant litany of inhumane treatment and attitudes made Mala and Edek’s story even more compelling.

That being said, there were still glimmers of hope in addition to Mala, Edek, and their compatriots. I don’t want to name names because that could ruin other readers’ perspectives on the characters.

But it served as a reminder that it does nobody any good to paint entire groups of people with a wide brush. Human beings do remain (for the most part) individuals with their personal ideals sometimes hindered in the desire to stay alive.

If that sounds convoluted, it’s only because I was touched by a couple of surprise perspectives within the story.

There were some parts where the dialogue didn’t ring true. Other times the inhabitants of the camp seemed to be very chatty with each other and the guards. Now, I suppose this could have been true in some cases, but it seemed overdone in others.

I appreciated how characters from the author’s other book (The Violinist of Auschwitz) made appearances here – this added to the realism of the story that these people would have crossed paths.

However, be forewarned – the fate of the main character of that book is revealed in this one, so if you have an inclination, be sure to read The Violinist… first.

Most importantly, I think, the author managed to capture how fellow prisoners treated each other, which is not often addressed. The lengths of obfuscation of the Nazis with their propaganda (ie the family camp) were also eye-opening.

This was another solid entry in the WWII historical fiction genre.  

Author Bio:

Ellie Midwood is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning historical fiction author. She owes her interest in the history of the Second World War to her grandfather, Junior Sergeant in the 2nd Guards Tank Army of the First Belorussian Front, who began telling her about his experiences on the frontline when she was a young girl. Growing up, her interest in history only deepened and transformed from reading about the war to writing about it. After obtaining her BA in Linguistics, Ellie decided to make writing her full-time career and began working on her first full-length historical novel, The Girl from Berlin.’ Ellie is continuously enriching her library with new research material and feeds her passion for WWII and Holocaust history by collecting rare memorabilia and documents.

In her free time, Ellie is a health-obsessed yoga enthusiast, neat freak, adventurer, Nazi Germany history expert, polyglot, philosopher, a proud Jew, and a doggie mama. Ellie lives in New York with her fiancé and their Chihuahua named Shark Bait.