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A review by maitaylor01
The Child of Auschwitz by Lily Graham
4.0
It goes without saying that no book about the Holocaust is going to be an easy read, but from the very first page of The Child of Auschwitz, I knew this was going to be a deeply emotional book. I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau a few years ago, and Lily Graham’s vivid imagery took me right back there.
Although largely focusing on their time in Auschwitz, The Child of Auschwitz also includes flashbacks to Eva’s life in Prague and internment in Terezin, and Sofie’s history in Austria. This added great depth to the characters, and gave a very human feel to the story. It is so important to remember that those imprisoned were real people with lives and families, and not just statistics of war. Books like this are vital to achieving this.
I was moved to the point of tears reading about Eva sorting the confiscated belongings of the people arriving at the camp, and keeping some of the photos that she finds. This simple act meant so much to me because reminded me of clearing my grandparents house, where we found a collection of letters and photos that had been sent to my Nan during the Second World War. We will probably never know who the young men in the photos are, or what happened to them, but they were loved by someone and for that reason I can’t bring myself to throw them away.
As much as The Child of Auschwitz is a tale about the horrors of the Holocaust, it is also a tale of enduring love and friendship, and it is this that make it such a beautiful read.
Although largely focusing on their time in Auschwitz, The Child of Auschwitz also includes flashbacks to Eva’s life in Prague and internment in Terezin, and Sofie’s history in Austria. This added great depth to the characters, and gave a very human feel to the story. It is so important to remember that those imprisoned were real people with lives and families, and not just statistics of war. Books like this are vital to achieving this.
I was moved to the point of tears reading about Eva sorting the confiscated belongings of the people arriving at the camp, and keeping some of the photos that she finds. This simple act meant so much to me because reminded me of clearing my grandparents house, where we found a collection of letters and photos that had been sent to my Nan during the Second World War. We will probably never know who the young men in the photos are, or what happened to them, but they were loved by someone and for that reason I can’t bring myself to throw them away.
As much as The Child of Auschwitz is a tale about the horrors of the Holocaust, it is also a tale of enduring love and friendship, and it is this that make it such a beautiful read.