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A Song In The Dark by Kimberley Woodhouse

Jul2

For Such A Time As This

A Song In The Dark by Kimberley Woodhouse is a powerful historical Christian novel that I could not put down. I read it in just two sittings, pausing only to sleep.

The action is set in Europe during 1938 as the world watches on as Hitler’s Nazi Germany consolidates its’ evil regime. This evil radiates outwards from his seat of power in Berlin.

The leading lady is a blind pianist who uses her God-given talent to bring joy to others. As the months count down, she realises that she, too, is one of Hitler’s ‘undesirables.’ “Because I’m blind… I could be seen as less than worthy. Unfit to live.” This opens the eyes of her soul as she does everything in her power to rescue and help those who are viewed as ‘less than’, especially the children. “I can’t sit by and do nothing.”

She is not alone in her endeavours, as her grandmother also has a heart for the persecuted and hurting. “She was willing to use the wealth and resources God had given her to help.” Her age does not stop her from acting.

We witness a life that realises their need for Jesus. “The Lord felt so distant. But she’d been the one to stop communicating.” Now is the time to return to Him. When we know Jesus, we can have peace despite our circumstances. “I’m in the Lord’s hands, and that’s the best place to be.” No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace.

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All The Broken Places by John Boyne

Jun15

Innocent? – Or Not?

All The Broken Places by John Boyne is a powerful novel set over four different time periods that consumed me from the start. It is the sequel to The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas but can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading book one first as there are references to scenes in there. This is Gretel’s story who is the daughter of the commandant of Auschwitz, and therefore sister to Bruno, the lead character in The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas.

The story in set in London in 2022, and also in Paris in 1946, Sydney 1952, and London again in 1953. The chapters alternate between 2022 and the other time periods.

Gretel is ninety-one in 2022. She has had a lifetime of hiding and guilt consuming her, despite only being twelve-years-old when she first went to live at Auschwitz. She has been running from the truth ever since.

Blame is laid on her youth. She claims her youth equals her innocence – but she knew exactly what was going on, and she is only fooling herself.

We see the truth of Edmund Burke’s famous statement that for evil to flourish, it just needs good men to do nothing. “By doing nothing, you did everything.” People are complicit in the Holocaust by their inactivity.

There are Holocaust survivors. Their stories cannot be compared to Gretel’s. She chose to do nothing, to say nothing. She has guilty hands. The Jewish people had no choice in their fate.

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To Find My Mother by Mary Wood

Jun1

Don’t Let Them Win

To Find My Mother by Mary Wood is a powerful historical novel that consumed me from the start.

The novel follows a Czech Jewish girl through World War II and beyond. It is a heartbreaking and horrifying read as Mary Wood captures the atmosphere of terror with her words.

Two young girls are separated from their mothers who are thrown into the ghetto. Both girls are rescued by a stranger who places them on a farm for safety. However, both girls are determined to seek out their mothers, whatever the consequences. And what happens next is truly awful. The Nazis had black hearts as they carried out despicable acts.

It was understandable to wonder “why Elohim had abandoned them.” In the darkest times, it is all to easy to think we have been abandoned.

We see that bravery is not necessarily about feeling brave. “I don’t feel brave. I just feel compelled to do something about the injustice of it all.” Some could not stand idly by. They could not do nothing.

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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Mar29

Love Is The Beginning & The End

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is such a powerful book about women during World War II. Everything about it is fabulous, which makes it a hard book to review – what to include? What to leave out?

This is a book about women at war and the love that binds them together.

In war, it is men’s stories that we hear. The Nightingale addresses this balance. “It’s a fact that women are useless in war. Your job is to wait for our return” says a male character! It is women who are the glue that hold everything together. “Maman had been the glue that held them together.”

We follow two sisters. The younger one works for the resistance. The older one has her own battles at home where she lives with her young daughter, who has to grow up very quickly during war. The setting is France and both are very much on the frontline.

The younger sister has spent her whole life searching for love. “She was tired of begging people to love her.” The truth is that she has always been loved. It proves to be a love that makes the ultimate sacrifice, which will end up breaking her.

We witness the bravery needed to help allied airmen to safety, evading capture – but the more successful trips, the bigger the target on a sister’s back.

Life inside concentration camps was brutal. Luck and a strong willpower to survive were needed. Bodies were broken but minds remained free. “In the camp, she fought back the only way she knew – by caring for her fellow prisoners, and helping them stay strong.” The women had to be their own support system to hopefully, survive. There are some very hard to read scenes of Nazi brutality.

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