When people think of the Holocaust, they usually think of Germany, Poland, and the concentration camps in occupied countries. However, it's important to remember that there were Allied countries who also helped the Nazis persecute Jews.
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| Jews were locked in this arena for days without food or water or sewage management. |
Sarah's Key is written in the present and the past; modern-day journalist Julia investigates the Vel d'Hiv evacuation from 1942. She finds paperwork related to a young girl named Sarah. The resulting journey takes Sarah into Paris's past and the suffering that happened. I liked this aspect of the story because the Holocaust is fascinating, but I found the other plot line more relatable.
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| There is this memorial in Pere Lachaise Cemetary commemorating the Holocaust. |
Julia is American, but she has moved to Paris to be with her French husband. Despite her fluent bilingualism and conformity, she still experiences cultural dissonance with her new home, mostly with her husband's family. Sarah's story of the evacuation of Jews from Paris connects her to the history around her, and to find a home within herself.
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| I don't wanna say her husband was a snob, but... |
Though the story is depressing (as all Holocaust stories inevitably are), I think it's important to read these novels to keep the difficult memories alive. How else can we prevent such tragedies from happening again? I happily look forward to the French movie.
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