Sarah’s Key by was an unexpectedly brilliant read for me. It was assigned by my book club, and at first I was reluctant to pick it up. Being a fictional story based on the historical and under reported Vel’d’Hiv’ roundup of more than 13,000 French Jews in Paris by the French police during World War II, I had a hunch of the agonizing experience I would be taken on. I have a long literary history with the Holocaust and events of World War II. These reads always effect me long after I have put the book back on the shelf. And how can they not? They should for everyone. Reading of such atrocities, and realizing people actually endured such treatment, is unimaginable. Alas, I am very pleased that I decided to take De Rosnay’s journey for a number of reasons.
Told from two perspectives, I read this book with a hurried, tangled terror that I have not experienced in a long while. Sarah, for most of the book referred to as “the girl”, was a mere ten years old when she, her mother and father were ripped from their apartment by French police in the middle of the night. In a brave decision, she locked her frantic, younger brother in their secret hiding place, instructing him to remain silent, vowing to be back soon to release him back into their happy reality. This decision of survival will haunt Sarah, and the reader, for the remainder of the book. De Rosnay follows Sarah’s story, until at which point her path crosses with the secondary voice, Julia Jarmond.
Sarah’s chapters alternated with those of the American born journalist who, after years of living in Paris, just now learns of the horrific events at the Velodrome d’Hiver, an indoor cycle track in Paris, when writing a piece for its 60th anniversary. Although perhaps less captivating than Sarah’s story, Julia’s chapters came as a much needed reprieve for me. When De Rosnay’s matter-of-fact, heart wrenching writing of the ten year old’s perspective was almost too much for me to bear, then came the familiar voice of a modern day woman. One dealing with a womanizing husband, demanding boss and everyday life. I thought the give and take of the alternating chapters was genius; creating a dynamic layer within the book that would eventually connect the two characters in an amazingly beautiful way.
I am also a sucker for a complete ending, one that leaves perhaps something to the imagination, but not very much. I like finality; resting the book and my soul with knowledge of what the author intended for me to grasp. And I feel that De Rosnay ended her exquisite novel in just that way: with grand, overwhelming emotion, perhaps a little romanticized possibility, but with certain conclusion of nearly all of the twisted storylines throughout the novel.
My opinion: read this book. You will not be disappointed. If you have read it, share your insight with me!
Next up on On My Nightstand is Amy Chua’s “Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother” {a Mother’s Day gift from my Brother and Sister-in-law}…
Enjoy the read!
1 Comment
De Su Mama
May 17, 2011 at 4:56 pmThis was the long, lost post that Blogger murdered during its 20 hour demise. I have my beautiful friend Maya to thank for bringing it back to life. Love you, chica.