Echoes Down The Years
The Bookseller Of Paris by Suzanne Kelman is a powerful, heart-wrenching dual timeline novel that I loved. It is the second book in The Paris Sisters but can be read as a stand-alone.
The action is mainly set in Paris in 1941 and also in 2011. This is a cosmopolitan read as in 2011 we travel from London to Scotland to Berlin and to Paris. In 1941 we journey between Paris and Berlin.
In present day a granddaughter is trying to piece together her grandfather’s past. She wants to know her heritage – could she really be related to a high-ranking Nazi? Her grandfather has been a recluse tainted by his father’s stance. He has spent a lifetime feeling guilty for the sins of his father.
Books are central to the story. In both time periods, the leading ladies are passionate about books. Novels by Jewish authors were smuggled out of Nazi Germany during World War II or they would have been lost forever. Books and writings tell our stories. “Our personal stories… They connect us to the past and remind us of who we are.” Books are more than just a social commentary on the time. “Books are our testament to having lived, loved and learned.”
We see the courage needed to stand up against the Nazis. “Love can drive us to do the most courageous things, especially in the darkest of times.” We never know what is in our core until it is called out of us.
The Resistance members were scattered over Europe. “True courage might also be found in the numerous small acts of defiance.” Ordinary men and women were called to do extraordinary acts of bravery.
An old house in the Berlin countryside was a hive of Nazi activity after it was seized from its Jewish owners. The land and house remained as a museum of the Holocaust. “Places like this… serve as a reminder of the past, no matter how painful or disturbing it may be… so we don’t forget.” We must never forget those who perished and those who bravely stood up for the innocents.
All the characters were well drawn and believable. The story consumed me from the start. We must never forget the six million innocents who perished nor those brave souls who stood up against the darkness and evil. The Bookseller Of Paris was such a powerful read.
JULIA WILSON