France was a member of the Allied troops during World War II, but they were under heavy influence from Germany. Sarah’s Key sheds some light on little known hostility that the country showed towards Jews in 1942.
Sarah’s Key has been on top of the Kindle bestseller list over the past year or so, and has been a fixture in many book clubs across the country. It is a poignant and emotional book that provides a unique perspective of the Holocaust and the horrors that Jews faced during the war.
The novel is set in 1942, and in 2002 during the 60 year anniversary of the deportation to the Velodrome d’Hiver. Ordered by German authorities to round up Jews, French policemen captured them and sent them to the former winter sports area. It is very fitting that winter is part of the name of this place considering that it was used for such a bleak act. From there, Jews were shipped to other concentration camps including Auschwitz. The narrator for the 1942 portion is 10 year old Sarah, born to Jewish parents and ordered to deport.
Believing that this whole ordeal would pass, Sarah locks her brother into a secret cabinet and promises to return, giving the book its title, Sarah’s Key.
Julia is an American born journalist who is married to a Frenchman. She discovers shocking information that connects her husband’s family to the deportations in 1942. So, you will see how the young girl of the past, and the other woman of the present are deeply connected.
I love books with plots that switch time periods because they keep me engaged in the story. It takes a talented author to weave the two storylines together. In general de Rosnay does a good job in Sarah’s Key with the exception of a few parts.
Sarah’s Key gets high marks among reviewers overall.
“This story touches the heart with its characters. If you like seeking truths and puzzles this story brings time and place together with the significance of family ties and value in new found relationships, trust and intuition. “