Songs Of Hope
The Singer Behind The Wire by Shari J Ryan is a powerful historical novel that will simultaneously horrify and also break your heart as you witness man’s inhumanity to man.
The action is set in Warsaw during World War II before moving to Auschwitz. We see that there were those who could not stand by and do nothing. When they witnessed the persecution of others, they felt compelled to act, regardless of personal safety.
Life was hard for all, but especially for the Jewish population. We witness the erosion of their liberties until they were squashed behind the ghetto walls – 400,000 in the Warsaw ghetto.
We see that love can still happen – even ‘banned’ love. A young couple meet where they can – even eventually forced to meet in a sewer. “They can force us to behave in a certain way, but they can’t control the way we think.” When minds are free, there is still hope.
Hope is what kept people going. A hope for a better tomorrow – but also aware that today was all they had. “Anything can happen tomorrow, so today is important.”
Friends and neighbours ‘disappeared.’ Some were concerned. Others looked out for themselves. Betrayal was all around. A character laments: “how many people need to disappear until someone takes notice?” It reminded me of the poem First They Came by Martin Niemöller a German Lutheran pastor born in 1892.
It is truly horrifying to witness the utter cruelty and depravity of the Nazi regime. It was horrific in the ghetto. It was even worse in Auschwitz.
Within Auschwitz you needed luck to survive, and also hope. Alone, there is despair. You needed to find a friend to keep you going. They survived for each other.
People were forced to do horrendous things in order to survive but “what happens here doesn’t define us.”
There were things that people were forced to witness that they could never ‘unsee.’ “I will never be able to close my eyes again and see anything else.”
Love keeps people going. When it is torn away, there is despair. “Grief is a consequence of love.”
Shari J Ryan has written a powerful novel. It is difficult to read at times and will make the reader feel uncomfortable. There are some hard to read scenes but they are very necessary. Evil walked the earth, and we need to know about it in memory of the six million innocents who perished and of those who survived.
Thank you Shari J Ryan for reminding us that even in the darkest pit, love can still bloom.
I received a free copy from the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
First They Came by Martin Niemöller
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
The Singer Behind the Wire by Shari J Ryan
Buy link: https://geni.us/B0F2SPH431social
Auschwitz, 1943. Ella tries to ignore the coughs and crying, the whispered prayers. Her eyelids grow heavier, but then a melody floats through the block as if on a breeze. Her lips open on a gasp, joy making her heart sing even as it shatters. She would know that voice anywhere…
Sitting bolt upright, Ella rubs at her eyes and concentrates on the music. Is she dreaming? She’d fallen for Luka’s voice the first time she heard him singing on the street corner near her house, with his kind smile and joyous laugh. He was her first love, and the pain of being torn apart still slices at her.
He’s alive. But even as hope swells in Ella’s heart, terror threatens to swallow it. Luka is Jewish. If he’s here, he’s in grave danger—even more than Ella faces for sneaking into the ghetto to see him back in Warsaw… But she will never regret it. They had fought every day for their love, even knowing where it might lead…
Despair tears at Ella as she battles to find the strength to keep going, to search for Luka even on the days when the bitter cold whips through the camp—the days when her body feels weaker than ever and her friends are lost to the cruel regime. At night, she listens desperately for the sound of Luka’s voice as he’s forced to perform. Knowing he’s still alive even if she can’t see him is the one thing that brings her peace.
Until one night when, as his first haunting notes reach her bunk, an angry shout splits the night sky, the music stops, and there is only resounding, terrifying silence…
A beautiful, heartbreaking yet hopeful story that will restore your faith in humanity and in the power of love to triumph over evil. Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Nightingale and The Choice will be blown away by this gripping page-turner.
About the author:
Shari J. Ryan is a USA Today and International Bestselling Author of over 40 novels, with more than 700,000 copies sold and translations in 13 languages. She writes emotionally evocative WWII fiction inspired by true stories that have resonated with readers around the globe. Her work has earned Top 100, Top 10, and #1 chart rankings, as well as two Rone Awards.
As the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Shari brings a deeply personal connection to her work. Her stories are rooted in truth and remembrance, written to ensure history is never forgotten.
For Shari, writing is more than a passion; it is her way of expressing herself and connecting with others. She strives to share every emotion she experiences with each reader who picks up one of her books.
Shari holds a bachelor’s degree from Johnson & Wales University and began her career as a graphic artist and freelance writer until 2012, when she discovered her true calling in novels.
Some of Shari’s bestselling books include The Nurse Behind the Gates, The Stolen Twins, The Bookseller of Dachau, The Doctor’s Daughter, and The Last Words Series—gripping stories that keep readers on the edge of their seats.
A lifelong Boston girl, Shari now lives in a small town in the suburbs with her adored husband and two incredible sons, who make her feel like the luckiest woman in the world.
Jess Readett
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