I love a good WWII novel, but I’ve been feeling like there isn’t much left to cover lately. This one came at me hard. I have never experienced WWII from the position of the young adults, in this way. To bring focus to a devastating piece of history I didn’t even know existed, I was floored. The characters were so vivid and real. I fell head over heels for little Emelia, hearing the horrific things she experienced as a young Polish girl. To have been through so much, and still keep moving forward, keeping her head on and using her brain, such a powerful character! The traveling group, with Sorry Ava, blind Ingrid and the Shoe Poet, knowing what these people were fleeing from, and where they hoped to end up, the family feel of it was so moving. The support they gave each other, the connections these people had created with each other, complete strangers before their journey began, it was all so powerful. Alfred was a terrifying addition to the story. I could feel the tension through the story, feel this young man winding himself tighter. He had my hair standing on end, waiting to see where he might explode. Seeing a young man, who yearned to be a part of something he thought so important to his country, knowing how the story would end, it has a nail biter to see what he could bring to the story. His character is so like so many young men of the time, brainwashed into believing the hate and nonsense. It was difficult to see how clear his mental illness was, and know that this was a time long before any of those issues were brought to light, knowing he would never see the proper treatments, it was very sad. The tragedy of Operation Hannibal was something I’d never heard of before. I was devastated, experiencing it for the first time through the eyes of the characters. The loss, the knowledge that nothing could have been done, as helpless onlookers, to help the thousands of people, just soul crushing! It was so well done, I ugly cried for so long. This is now on my all time favourite list. I loved this story. 5 stars all day long.
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