Pointing The Way Home
The Family Behind The Walls by Shari J Ryan is a powerful historical novel that gripped me from the start.
The book opens in Germany in 1942 as we follow six members of one Jewish family through the war years.
We witness the pit of hell that is Auschwitz and see that more than just hope is needed to survive, luck is needed too.
We also join the children’s camp and then a church-run orphanage.
It is important to have hope. “I need to give Lilli hope.” Without hope, the people perish.
We see the lessons of the past keep characters grounded and give them a purpose even in the darkest of times. “They may take my hair, but not Mama’s teaching to care, lead and be brave for those unable to.” We need to be the beacon that shines in the darkness.
Within the pit that is Auschwitz, trust is in short supply. “We’re rewarded for turning on each other. Desperation can alter a person’s ability to navigate their morals.” People are exploited when they are at their lowest. An animal instinct to survive kicks in.
In contrast we witness a character who serves. “Hate is the only contagious disease that’s killed more people here than typhus.” We do not want to water the seed of hate but feed the seed of care and compassion.
Death and loss dominate. Even at the liberation of Auschwitz, there is fear. He “will always be with you. He’s a part of you, not this place.” A character fears moving on and leaving her loved one behind but memories of our loved ones go with us. No one can take their memory away.
There is the theme of healing throughout. Both physical and mental healing is needed. The people needed “to have an opportunity to begin the process of healing from the burdens they’ve all endured.”
All the characters were well drawn and believable. The reader ‘experienced the hell of Auschwitz through the eyes of a character who had the compassion to help but the reality was, there were no medical supplies available. Help would never be coming.
We get closer to the action as it is told in the first person through a mother and a daughter. This enables us to really ‘know’ the characters as the chapters alternate.
The Family Behind The Walls is such a powerful read. May we never forget the six million innocents who perished.
I received a free copy from the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
Book Description:
Germany, 1943. Jordanna cries out desperately to her mother, tears spilling down her cheeks. She is being torn one way, her parents another. And in Jordanna’s terrified, wide brown eyes, there is only one question: Will I ever see you again?
Poland: Day in and day out, fifteen-year-old Jordanna holds tight to the hands of her siblings as they’re forced into back-breaking labor. They’ve been transported to a camp for Polish orphans, but at night, Jordanna weeps silently, clinging to the hope that they’re not actually orphans. That when they finally escape, their mother Dalia will be waiting with open arms. But the only thing she knows for sure is that to survive, she cannot let the cruel guards discover they are not just Polish, they are Jewish…
Auschwitz: More than a hundred miles away, Dalia shivers in her tattered striped uniform, wary eyes darting around for any sign of trouble. She’s seen other women lost to the bitter sting of the frozen air and the brutal regime and she can’t let it be her. Every day, Dalia prays that her husband will find a way to save their children. But when another prisoner approaches her about joining their secret resistance, Dalia decides to take rescuing her family into her own hands—despite the terrible danger it puts her in…
The only thing keeping Jordanna and Dalia’s spirits alive in the darkest of places is the hope that they will one day be reunited. But will Dalia fight her way out to cradle her daughter in her arms once more—or will she die trying?
A heartbreaking, emotional, yet ultimately hopeful World War Two page-turner about the strength of the love between a mother and daughter triumphing over evil. Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Nightingale and The Choice will be blown away by this gripping, unputdownable story.
Author Bio:
Shari J. Ryan is a USA Today Bestselling Historical Fiction writer. Her desire to write stories revolving Jewish livelihood during World War II stems from being a descendant of two Holocaust survivors. After the passing of Shari’s grandmother, she pursued an active interest in learning more about the inherited stories she yearned to understand better.
Shortly after earning a bachelors degree from Johnson & Wales University, Shari began her career as a graphic artist and freelance writer. She then found her passion for writing books in 2012. In 2016, Shari began writing her first Historical Fiction novel, Last Words, a story about a lifelong journey through the eyes of a Holocaust survivor, and Shari quickly found a new passion to share untold World War II stories within a fictional setting. In 2023 she will explore her first foray into the world of psychological thrillers with the gripping, twisty The Homemaker…
Shari is a lifelong New England girl who lives to make people laugh. She is happily married with two wonderful sons and a spunky Australian Shepard, who fits right in with the family.
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