"Sarah's Key"

Author: Tatiana de Rosnay
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2007
Pages: 123
My Rating: Recommend

Sarah's Key is a story that needs to be told, but it is not for the faint of heart.

Synopsis (book jacket): Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours. Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life. Tatiana de Rosnay offers us a brilliantly subtle, compelling portrait of France under occupation and reveals the taboos and silence that surround this painful episode.

Review: This book was very difficult for me to read, particularly early on. Too easily I immersed myself into the characters' lives and it took an emotional toll. I had to put it down several times and come back to it hours later. I thought the author could have done a better job with Julia's storyline and motivations, but I was intrigued by Sarah (although there were a couple parts I thought were "cop-outs"). Overall, this story did not reach its full potential, but it was a good read nonetheless.