It is 1942 and Eva Adami has boarded a train to Auschwitz. Barely able to breathe due to the press of bodies and exhausted from standing up for two days, she can think only of her longed-for reunion with her husband Michal, who was sent there six months earlier.
But when Eva arrives at Auschwitz, there is no sign of Michal and the stark reality of the camp comes crashing down upon her. As she lies heartbroken and shivering on a thin mattress, her head shaved by rough hands, she hears a whisper. Her bunkmate, Sofie, is reaching out her hand...
As the days pass, the two women learn each other’s hopes and dreams – Eva’s is that she will find Michal alive in this terrible place, and Sofie’s is that she will be reunited with her son Tomas, over the border in an orphanage in Austria. Sofie sees the chance to engineer one last meeting between Eva and Michal and knows she must take it even if means befriending the enemy…
But when Eva realises she is pregnant she fears she has endangered both their lives. The women promise to protect each other’s children, should the worst occur. For they are determined to hold on to the last flower of hope in the shadows and degradation: their precious children, who they pray will live to tell their story when they no longer can.
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Child of Auschwitz to review And to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The title alone of Lily Graham's new book suggests it will be a difficult yet important read. Her last few books have seen a vast shift in direction, especially when you think back to her first two or three books, but it is a very welcome one as I think Lily Graham is really settling into the historical fiction genre and the stories she is telling are brilliantly written and deeply engrossing. The Child of Auschwitz has a very powerful opening line that will have you immediately sitting up and taking attention. 'I was born into a world that had forbidden my existence.' Straight away you are questioning who is speaking and why is their existence forbidden? All will become clear over time as you delve deeper into a fascinating story. One of untold horrors, cruelty, deprivation, starvation and torture.
I was glad that the author did not shy away from the harsh realities of what went on in one of the most horrific places ever to have existed in this world. If you are going to write a book with such a devastating subject at its centre that happened not all that long ago, you are better to not spare the details or sugar coat things but be true to yourself and your readers by explaining and detailing everything the way it was. Thankfully, Lily Graham did this and in turn she has written an informative, tense, absorbing and haunting read.
In present day Prague, an old woman sits down to write her story. She is determined that what happened many years ago will not be forgotten once she is gone so whatever it takes she will get everything written down on paper for as she says herself, 'Life doesn't wait until we are ready. More often than not, it throws us into the deep end and asks us to swim. Ready or not.' This story highlights this statement and its how the main character Eva deals with what life has thrown at her that is truly remarkable.
There is no long lead up to the main events of this story, instead in the first chapter we are taken to where the majority of the novel is set. Auschwitz, Birkenau December 1942 and Eva Adami along with her friend Sofie, and several other women she has come to know in her hut, are living in one of the worst places on earth. Not by choice of course, rather due to the actions of an evil, insane man who thinks the Jewish population should be eradicated. All traces of humanity have been stripped from once proud people. They have been reduced to shreds of their former selves in more ways than one. Every minute of every hour of every day is a struggle to survive what is being inflicted upon them. Only the strongest will survive and out of the hundreds of thousands sent to this concentration camp where such cruelty unfolded only several thousand made it to the end to emerge to freedom. Although their state of mind and their physical state would never ever be the same again, how could it be given all they had witnessed and endured?
Eva is an incredible character whom you will quickly come to admire for the strength she garners in the toughest of times. She not only forces herself to keep going but those around her she gives care, support and comfort to when they feel they can no longer keep struggling on. Existing on the most meagre of rations and being made to stand outside for roll call for hours upon on end not to mention the forced labour they had to partake in were just some of the many things the Germans enforced innocent people who did not deserve this treatment. What sets Eva apart from the rest is that she volunteered to take the train to the camp. Her family had been forced to live crammed into a ghetto – Terezin - and when the Germans were once again rounding up people Eva stepped forward to go. Without question, such madness to go but there is something driving Eva on and it is this force that forms her strength and backbone. It is the love for her husband Michal.
Michal had been sent away months ago and she hopes to reunite with him. What follows is a desperate search throughout the camp where danger and suspicion lurk around every corner. Putting one step out of place could result in instant death but Eva's passion and devotion for Michal remain unwavering and she will do anything to find out news of the man she loves so much and wants once again back by her side. We come to understand through a series of recollections between chapters as to how Eva and Michal met and how important they became to one another. An insight was also given into her family's life pre-war and how a close relative taught Eva many things which she is now putting into practice in the camps.
I loved the chapters told from Eva's point of view before her and so many others worlds were turned upside down. It offered some light relief and highlighted happier times which were in stark contrast to the dark and soul destroying days in the camp. Camp life existed on a currency of favours where the smallest thing could make the biggest difference and Eva was well able to play this game. She used her ingenuity, her bravery and knowledge to seek out information. But would she able to discover anything and if she did would she be pleased with what she heard? Would she be strong enough to survive the camp considering starvation and illness were the greatest enemies not to mention the destruction and barbarous actions carried out by the guards? One thing is for sure you will be rooting for Eva all the way with a lump in your throat and tears in your eyes.
As for Sofie, she too had a mission in volunteering for transportation to the camp. Instead of a husband it was the love of her missing son Tomas that drove her on. He was taken from her and supposedly kept safe yet she knows nothing as to his whereabouts or whether he is still alive. She wants answers and as she seeks someone she has on her mind who may well give them to her, she too will not rest until she is reunited with her son. Sofie as opposed to Eva was slightly more tougher in her approach to getting what she wanted. The fact that she had no qualms about establishing a friendship/connection with one of the guards demonstrated how she was prepared to go to any lengths for her child. At times I found some of Sofie's actions uncomfortable. Yes the entire nature of the book and the details of what I was reading was uncomfortable and horrendous but Sofie's took things to a new level and I wondered would things turn out worse rather than better for her.
I found The Child of Auschwitz to be a quick read. The chapters weren't unnecessarily long and before I knew it I was nearing the end of the book. The themes of hope and survival came across very well throughout and there was so much raw emotion and tension apparent at every turn of the page. It was evident such detailed research had been undertaken into the conditions at the camp, the daily routines and also the punishments and torture that existed that I did gain a really deep understanding of what so many experienced. But resilience, determination and self belief were all key traits that Eva possessed and I wondered whether they would be enough to see her through to the end or perhaps there would a lot in store for her before the final page was reached.
The last quarter or so of the story really picked up the pace and there were many surprising twists, turns and revelations and it made for an absorbing read. Despite the harsh nature of the subject matter this is a book that fans of the genre will love, even if that does seem like the wrong sort of word to be using. Yes it a heartbreaking story of darkness but yet there is light and hope amidst those times.
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