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A review by amnah_a
From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
5.0
"We are at war. War has a way of stripping us of perspective. War is about life and death, and it paints everything in shades of now or never. We do things we otherwise wouldn't because never is so frightening and now, so comforting. 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.'"
What a beautiful story. I think I appreciated the history more than anything, because damn if I had a clue about the efforts of the Catholic clergy to hide Jews all over the world. Amy Harmon describes the overwhelming scope of events and the inevitable collection of other heroic organisations and injustices that continue to be overlooked in such a huge war, and yet revitalises one precious gem from the din of this crowded era. Through the characters of Eva––whose written 'confessions' comprise a part of the storytelling--and Angelo, the world that you step into is one surrounded by every essential experience of life. Birth, death, love, hate, betrayal, want and faith are projected loudly in the voices of a Jewish girl and a Catholic priest who first fight to live their lives, then fight simply to survive, and then fight to exist together, for as long as the world will give them.
Angelo is such an admirable character. A gentle hero, with a humble heart, easy compassion and enough faith to move mountains.
"'You doubt me?' Angelo smiled and tapped his prosthetic leg with his cane.
'No.' She smiled too. 'I think you were born with half a leg so the rest of us could keep up.'
What a beautiful story. I think I appreciated the history more than anything, because damn if I had a clue about the efforts of the Catholic clergy to hide Jews all over the world. Amy Harmon describes the overwhelming scope of events and the inevitable collection of other heroic organisations and injustices that continue to be overlooked in such a huge war, and yet revitalises one precious gem from the din of this crowded era. Through the characters of Eva––whose written 'confessions' comprise a part of the storytelling--and Angelo, the world that you step into is one surrounded by every essential experience of life. Birth, death, love, hate, betrayal, want and faith are projected loudly in the voices of a Jewish girl and a Catholic priest who first fight to live their lives, then fight simply to survive, and then fight to exist together, for as long as the world will give them.
Angelo is such an admirable character. A gentle hero, with a humble heart, easy compassion and enough faith to move mountains.
"'You doubt me?' Angelo smiled and tapped his prosthetic leg with his cane.
'No.' She smiled too. 'I think you were born with half a leg so the rest of us could keep up.'