**POSSIBLE SPOILERS**

Okay – historical fiction is not usually my go-to genre, but when I saw the cover of Madeline Martin’s book on Goodreads and learned it was about saving Polish culture from the nazi-takeover I was ON BOARD.

Unless you’re a self-professed bibliophile there may be a “perfect” age at which to read this book. I think anyone can enjoy it, but I’m not sure if younger 20-something me would have been so deeply moved by this story. In my ripe-old thirties, and after several years of Trump/white christian nationalism/banning books, this story hits a lot harder. Just like our protagonist Zofia, my perspective has shifted quite a lot after what I’ve experienced.

Zofia’s perspective is what makes this book so unique. We are looking at the nazi takeover of Poland from the perspective of a proud Polish woman who desperately wants to protect her Jewish best friend – and she goes to incredible lengths to do so. What makes this so interesting is the fact that because Zofia isn’t Jewish (and by extension not living in the Jewish ghetto) she doesn’t have access to all the information about what’s going on. This really made me think about what it must have been like to experience this.

We read historical accounts of the Holocaust and, in my opinion, are rightfully horrified by what we read. Imagine being in the middle of it, but NOT knowing what to expect. Information is doled out to Zofia bit by bit throughout the novel and this allows the reader to understand and sit with the anxiety and worry affecting the Polish people.

On a more positive note, however, the thing I loved most about this book was the artful way Martin wove the NECESSITY of books throughout the whole tale. Even in the darkest moments of war and violence, people longed for stories to take them away from their troubles. Imagine a world so desolate that a book becomes almost as valuable as a loaf of bread to a starving person. Incredible!

This was such a nice break from the horror that I typically read. It really made me eager to get started building my home library collection of classics and more fired up than ever to prevent the modern-day nazis from banning our books! Because it was historical fiction it was also really cool to read about which parts were true and which parts Martin changed or added.

5/5 ***** Highly recommend!