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I Have To Save Them by Ellie Midwood

Feb2

The Angel Of Auschwitz

I Have To Save Them by Ellie Midwood is the most powerful, heartbreaking and horrifying dual timeline novel that I just could not put down.

The story starts and ends with the same day in 1961. It bookends the tale. There is a choice to be made – what would you choose?

Much of the novel is set in Auschwitz and is grounded in fact as we follow German citizen, Orli, who was betrayed by her Nazi husband six years earlier. We also ‘hear’ events from 1961 as we see “She may have left Auschwitz’s walls, but the walls of Auschwitz have never left her … tormenting her with nightmares of the past.” As a medic who was under Josef Mengele in Auschwitz, Orli saw terrible things, things that would haunt her forever. It took real strength of character not to crumble as she clung “to her humanity in the face of such brutality.”

Within the infirmary in Auschwitz there grew up a friendship between the nurses. They had to be strong in order to support each other. They offered kindnesses where they could. It felt like a drop in the ocean but “whoever saves a single life saves an entire universe.” The women stood together through it all. “Together we’ll pull through.”

There were times when they felt evil was too much to bear but “they were warriors, each one of them a beacon of resilience, a beacon of hope.” They had to hold on to the hope that one day the sun would shine again. “She knew that even in the darkest times, there was always a glimmer of light, a way to hold onto humanity.” The light shines in the darkness as the angel of Auschwitz walked among them.

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The German Child by Catherine Hokin

Jan28

Horrendous & Heart-Breaking

The German Child by Catherine Hokin is a powerful dual timeline novel that completely captivated me. It is horrendous, heart breaking and powerful.

The action is set during World War II in Berlin and also in 1979/1980 America. We see the dreadful exploits of the Angel of Death in Germany during the war, continue afterwards. Far from seeing what was done as war crimes, the Angel of Death is proud of her lifetime of horrendous crimes.

We see the power wielded as one chooses who lives and who dies, who is deemed worthy and who isn’t. First it was the Jewish people during World War II, then it was the African Americans in Alabama as the white supremacists supported the horrendous acts of prejudice and inequality.

The Lebensborn program of the Nazis robbed families of children, and children of their mothers. Blonde haired, blue-eyed boys were selected for the Nazis Fatherland. Girls were not valued so highly, being viewed only as good for breeding boys. The army of drab brown-uniformed sisters were selected to blend in as they stole children. They were meant to be unmemorable. The novel is grounded in fact as the brown sisters actually existed.

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The American Wife’s Secret by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger

Oct23

So Brave, So Heartbreaking

The American Wife’s Secret by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is a powerful historical novel that I read in just one sitting. It is the third book in The Diplomat’s Wife series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action takes place in Europe 1943-1945 as we follow an American lady who does what she can to sabotage the Nazi war effort and to gain intelligence.

All the characters were well drawn and realistic. The bravery, tenacity and loyalty of the leading lady was admirable.

We witness the horrors of war from within Nazi-occupied territories. Trust was in short supply and lips needed to be tightly sealed.

The author created the atmosphere of fear as we ‘see’ the methods used by the Gestapo to extract information.

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The Sisters At The Last House Before The Sea by Liz Eeles

Oct22

Enchanting

The Sisters At The Last House Before The Sea by Liz Eeles is an absolutely beautiful contemporary novel. It is the sixth book in the Heaven’s Cove series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The novel is about family. Family may be blood related or brought together by love. Family love us despite our faults. Family stick by one another. We see two sisters thrown back together by the death of their grandmother. Life is awkward at first but gradually old bonds are rebuilt.

We see the difficult position of a fifteen year old step daughter. She is trying to find her place in life but is troubled. Her life is continually built on shifting sand and she does not know where she belongs. The location of Devon offers her more freedom than her stifling London life.

A character is gaslighted by her partner. She is oblivious to the mental torment he is inflicting. The reader can clearly see what is happening. Our hearts are broken by cruel barbs to the character who is a kind and gentle soul.

There is a mystery to solve from a century ago. Enquiries about a long-dead relative open some exciting new doors.

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