Sarah’s Key is a novel that spans two different times and
two different realities. One view is that of Sarah. She is a ten year old girl
living in Paris. Her story begins in July of the year 1942 when she and her
parents are taken from their homes by the French police who were going to every
door and arresting families who were Jewish during the night. When the police
came knocking on Sarah’s door, she only wanted to protect her younger brother
so she locked him in a cupboard hidden in their bedroom promising to come back
for him. It was their secret hiding place.
The other view of the story takes place sixty years later
when an American journalist, living in Paris, begins to investigate the Vel D’Hiv
roundup. Julia Jarmond unearths secrets that bring her to Sarah past and her
own future. The novel goes back and forth between the two stories, linking them through time.
Sarah’s Key is written with such intensity and suspense.
There are rich descriptives on every page, making you feel as though you were
living there. The rich history is intriguing and sorrowful. It’s heartbreaking
to know that people suffered these horrors and the few survivors had to live
with their loss. That is something one could never forget and it would change a
person forever.
Tatiana de Rosnay’s writing style is impeccable. She has
filled each page with so much detail and history. Even after putting the book
down, the story stays with you. The characters were so real that I felt I knew
them personally and their stories made my heart ache. The author did a good job
of explaining the conditions and the treatment of the Jewish community during
the Holocaust and the role the French played in July 1942. She helps
explain from the characters points of view why so many people living in France
have forgotten what happened or did not even know about it. Before reading this
book, I had no idea that so much had happened in France during the Holocaust. I
learned about the roundup as I read.
This story is rich in history and so engaging that you
almost forget it is a work of fiction. I would highly recommend picking up this
book and learning a bit more while reading for pleasure. This story highlights
why it is so important to remember our past and to never forget.
