Sarah’s Key

9780312370848.jpg

Sarah’s Key is an extremely popular book right now. I was able to borrow it from a friend, a good thing since I was number 249 in the queue for borrowing it from my library!

Julia Jarmond is an American journalist living in Paris in 2002. She is assigned to write about the commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Velodrome d’Hiver roundup. She had never heard of this infamous incident in which Parisian Jews were arrested by French police under the direction of the Nazi occupiers. Entire families were held for days in mid-summer in the Velodrome d’Hiver arena without food, water, or bathroom facilities. Those that survived were then brought to temporary camps in the Parisian suburbs before being shipped to Auschwitz. Over 13,000 people were held in the Vel’   d’Hiv’. About 400 survived the war.

In 1942, Sarah is a ten year old girl who is arrested  along with her parents and brought to the Vel’ d’Hiv’. In an effort to protect her four year brother, Michel, and believing they will only be gone a few hours, Sarah locks Michel in a hidden cupboard in their bedroom. She slips the key in her pocket as her family is escorted out of their home. In the ensuing weeks, Sarah is only concerned with rescuing her beloved brother.

As Julia investigates the roundup, she discovers a surprising connection between her French in-laws and this notorious incident. This only piques her curiosity, and she tries to learn of Sarah’s fate.

Sarah’s Key is a bit confusing at first. The earlier chapters in the book alternate between Julia’s and Sarah’s stories, so there is a lack of continuity which left me unsatisfied as I was anxious for each story to continue, particularly Sarah’s. This is a minor distraction in an otherwise excellent book. The true importance of this book, I think, is the way it highlights a tragic and nearly forgotten piece of modern history.

In USA:

Published in hardcover-St. Martin’s Press-2007
Softcover edition-St. Martin’s Press-2007

Sarah’s Key

Posted by: admin | 09-12-2009 | 03:09 PM
Posted in: Fiction | Comments (0)

The Shadow of the Wind

sow.jpg

I had never heard of this amazing book by Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafon until a few weeks ago; now I see people reading it everywhere I go! It is an intriguing, complex, and very well-written mystery.

In 1945, Barcelona is still struggling with the after effects of both the Spanish Civil War and World War II. Daniel, a ten-year old boy and the son of a bookseller, misses his long-dead mother. When he wakes one morning and cannot remember her face, he is devastated.  Daniel’s father takes him that very day to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a mysterious building with an equally mysterious but wise caretaker. Daniel learns that since this is his first visit to this place, he is to remove one book, adopt it, and ensure its survival. After wandering the huge labyrinth that is this building, Daniel chooses a novel, The Shadow of the Wind, by Juilan Carax.

Daniel reads his chosen book, and is captivated by both the book and its author. A wealthy bookseller offers to buy it from Daniel, but he takes his responsibility seriously. While trying to find more of Carax’s books, Daniel learns that he is not alone. Someone is determined to find all remaining copies of all of Carax’s novels and destroy them all.

This is the central mystery of the book. This is also a coming-of-age novel. Daniel falls in love, wanders the streets of Barcelona, keeps secrets from his father. It takes Daniel years to unravel the mystery of Julian Carax. Along the way, we meet many interesting  characters.

The Shadow of the Wind was written in Spanish, so of course I read it in translation.  It was a very skillful translation; the novel read as if it were written in English. I whole-heartedly recommend this book!

In USA:

Published in hardcover-Penguin-2004
Softcover edition-Penguin-2005

The Shadow of the Wind

Posted by: admin | 09-12-2009 | 02:09 PM
Posted in: Fiction | Comments (0)