This is one of those books you won't put down once you start reading it so don't do what I did and start it if you have to be somewhere the next day.
Sarah's Key by Tatiana DeRosnay is an interesting book because it is a dual story told both in 1942 (Sarah's story) and 2002 (Julia's story and investigation into Sarah's story). The book begins in July of 1942 and is based on a piece of nasty French history that still to this day, many French do not know about. In July 1942, the French police rounded up thousands of Jewish families in what is now called the Vel' d Hiv' roundup. The French separated the men, shipped them off to the Auschwitz, then did the same with the women. The children were left for days before the word came down to ship them off to Auschwitz too.
As I said this is a dual story that begins with Sarah, a 10 year old Jewish girl who is arrested in Paris with her parents during this roundup. Sarah hides and locks her brother in a secret closet fully intending to come back and rescue him. Sarah's story alternates with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist who has lived in Paris for 25 years with her French husband and young daughter. She is asked to write an article for the 60th anniversary of this roundup for the magazine she works for. Through her investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel' d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.
I thought I had pretty much read it all as far as Holocaust fiction goes until I read this book - it was excellent, if not just for the history but for the believable and touching character that is Julia Jarmond. She is so easy to relate to that it is difficult to resist getting caught up in her investigation of the round up and in her relationship with her husband. Ms. de Rosnay has managed to create two fabulous stories and wrap them up in one breathtaking book. Not only does the novel focus on a tragic story, it focuses on what happens when circumstances change.
The story alternates back and forth between past and present and Sarah and Julia until the middle of the book when Sarah's voice drops off. While this bothered many reviewers, I really enjoyed the movement from past to present because I think it really helps one understand people's thoughts on that part of history today. I will admit that in all the stories I have ever read about the Holocaust, I had never read about the French involvement. I enjoyed that she wrote it from an "outsiders" awe-struck perspective because I have often found myself feeling that same exact way when I read about these types of things that happened in the past, "How could anyone have let this happen? Why would they do that? "Why do some people refuse to believe this important part of history never happened?" The focus of the story is through the impact that Vel' d'Hiv' had, not the survivors, but on the by-standers and people who are at least one generation removed. Losing Sarah's voice at the midpoint I think helped to emphasize all that was lost and gave a living testament to all those who lost their voice during that roundup.
This book is a keeper. Thanks Cindy!
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