Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Tattooist of Auschwitz

I've been meaning to read this one for a while, and was finally prompted to do so by Holocaust Memorial Day, and that I keep seeing people reviewing in on The Book Hangout Spot. This is based on the true story of Lale Solokov, with the author having spent a lot of time getting to know him and his story intimately before his death in 2006.

The whole thing is very sensitively portrayed; while it doesn't shy away from the horror of the camps, nor does it go into gratuitous detail or overload you with the myriad of despicable and disgusting actions that were taken by the guards. When these scenes do occur, it feels like a very matter of fact, simple recounting of events, and yet the emotion comes from the reaction of our protagonist. You feel what he feels, rather than the overall debilitating defeat of the camp population.

I think I would have preferred the story to have been told more as a non-fiction biography than in novel form; it is truly fascinating to me how people managed to hold on to hope while in these places, and Lale's story is a prime example of this. However, where it is on my fiction shelf and is 'based on' true events, it naturally begs the question, just how much is fictionalised? Just the day to day interactions? Or are some of the key moments inventions? There are a few things that may well be factual, but are in the 'stranger than fiction' category, so I'd have liked some straight answers!

Something I found slightly difficult to place was the food situation. Again, I'm sure it's based on Lale's experiences and so I don't doubt its veracity, but the ready availability of chocolate, sausages, nylons etc to be traded for jewels snuck out of Canada just seems so at odds with the accepted wisdom of the period (although I am probably basing that on my knowledge of British rationing - I have no idea about the German/Polish equivalent, or even if there was one!). The fact that Lale just happens to get to talk to a person who can seemingly magic up anything he requests... I'm intrigued more than anything else!

I feel that perhaps the writing style 'softens the blow' of the extreme situation somewhat. While it is beautifully written and very easy to read despite the subject matter, it only feels like it skims the surface of Lale's experiences to tell the tale the author envisions, rather than the full story.

Definitely worth a read, but I'm just not getting the same 'wow' factor that everyone else seems to, which is a shame.

Content Warnings

bambiwambi's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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alexisgarcia's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

this was a really interesting story about a young man during the Holocaust and how he survived the concentration camps and helped out the other people in the camp to the best of his abilities. the relationships that were formed between the characters were so sweet and i thought that that was the best part of the book,

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