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A review by melissa_bookworm
Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
4.0
This book follows the story of Cilka, a minor character from The Tattooist of Auschwitz, following the closure of the Birkenau concentration camp. It is mentioned in the first book that Cilka is given a privileged position in the camp because of a sexual relationship she has with a commandant (clearly non-consensual though). Looking into this, the Auschwitz Memorial has said that this sort of relationship would not have taken place between an SS officer and a prisoner (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/feb/01/cilkas-journey-the-tattooist-of-auschwitz-heather-morris) but first person accounts refutes this. Due to this accusation, the Soviet Army charges Cilka with fraternizing with the enemy, which result in a sentence of 15 years hard labour in a Russian Gulag.
It is a devastating narrative, to be granted 'freedom' from the Nazi's only to be thrust into another labour camp. There is lots of sad events that happen in the years that Cilka is in the gulag, but there is also small pockets of hope which keeps the book from being overly depressing.
It is a devastating narrative, to be granted 'freedom' from the Nazi's only to be thrust into another labour camp. There is lots of sad events that happen in the years that Cilka is in the gulag, but there is also small pockets of hope which keeps the book from being overly depressing.