2010, Book 14: Sarah's Key

Until last night, it had been about two weeks since I picked up a book to read for my own enjoyment. I had picked up several things in that time, however I couldn't get into anything and I was on vacation and didn't really have time to read. We got home from our trip last night and magic happened. I was waiting on my husband to go and get our dog from the friends who had been watching him and I picked up Sarah's Key. It only took me one or two short chapters to be completely sucked in to Tatiana de Rosnay's haunting Holocaust drama.

Sarah's Key takes place both in 1942 and in 2002. The story is about Sarah, who is awakened in the night by pounding at the door of her apartment. She, her mother, and her father are dragged off in the night by the French police. The police are acting under Nazi orders to round up French Jews. In her fear and desperation, Sarah locks her little brother in a hidden cupboard to protect him. She thinks that she and her parents will be gone for only a short time and she promises to come back for him.

In 2002, in Paris, an American named Julia Jarmond is assigned to write a story about the 1942 French round-up of Jewish citizens. She is an American who has lived in Paris for most of her life. Julia knows nothing about the events and circumstances in 1942 Paris, but as she begins her research she finds that she is connected to Sarah. She also decides that it is her duty to find out what became of Sarah and her family.

I could not put Sarah's Key down. Tatiana de Rosnay crafted a story in which both Sarah and Julia are characters in whom the reader becomes personally invested. As a reader, I cared about what was to become of both women and I was not willing to wait to find out. The story is also a wonderful blend of historical fact and fiction. Tatiana de Rosnay was factual in her treatment of the events of 1942, however all of the characters in the novel are fictitious. It is my belief that it takes a talented writer to treat history with the respect that it deserves while simultaneously creating a story that is both believable and imaginary.

This was an amazing book to bring me out of my reading slump and back into my dedication to books. I would recommend it to anyone however I feel that history lovers and lovers of historical fiction would take the most joy from reading it. I also feel that it is geared toward a female audience however, the right man would enjoy it as well.