Scan barcode
A review by theaceofpages
Refusal by Soazig Aaron
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"You should see your faces," she said, and then, lightly, with a sigh, "You can't imagine how long it takes a skeleton to die."
Klara has returned after being detained at Auschwitz. Her sister-in-law, Angélika, is ecstatic to have her best friends back, but Klara is not the woman she remembers. She is distant and doesn't want to see her daughter. She barely talks to anyone or take care of herself. As time passes, she comes to realise the trauma Klara has experienced and begins to understand why she has changed.
The story is told through Angélika's diary. While the style is realistic in terms of how people write diaries, I struggled to determine relationships and keep track of who is who. While the idea was a great one (and I appreciated the exploration of the aftermath of the horrors that people in concentration camps experienced), this detracted from the story and made it more difficult to stay immersed. The parts where Klara opened up about her experiences hit hard. The rest... The confusion is why this isn't ranked higher.
Klara has returned after being detained at Auschwitz. Her sister-in-law, Angélika, is ecstatic to have her best friends back, but Klara is not the woman she remembers. She is distant and doesn't want to see her daughter. She barely talks to anyone or take care of herself. As time passes, she comes to realise the trauma Klara has experienced and begins to understand why she has changed.
The story is told through Angélika's diary. While the style is realistic in terms of how people write diaries, I struggled to determine relationships and keep track of who is who. While the idea was a great one (and I appreciated the exploration of the aftermath of the horrors that people in concentration camps experienced), this detracted from the story and made it more difficult to stay immersed. The parts where Klara opened up about her experiences hit hard. The rest... The confusion is why this isn't ranked higher.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, and Antisemitism