Book Review Sarah's Key

Sarah’s Key by Tatian de Rosnay

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I have been obsessed with all stories surrounding the holocaust and everything that went with it. Maybe it is because I grew up in a world of technology, maybe it’s because I am still young (only 23), but I still can’t figure out how one man got away with killing millions of people and other countries didn’t realise it in time, I know in some countries it still happens daily that such acts of inhumanity occur, I just don’t fathom how someone can get away with it. So it was no surprise that when I stumbled across this book and read it was set in 1942 that I set my heart on having this book and reading it. Sarah’s Key is a book by Tatiana de Rosnay and I recommend this book to anyone out there who enjoys reading a thrilling and compelling book.

Now the book has two separate parts, the story of Sarah in 1942 and Julia Jarmond in 2002.

The part of Sarah is set in Paris, July 1942 and starts where the police is banging on the doors of homes rounding up the Jewish families during the French police Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup. Sarah’s family was also round up and her father was hiding with other men, since rumour had it that the police will only be getting all the men in Paris. When the police came they took Sarah and her mother, but before she could be taken away she hides her brother in their secret cupboard promising him she will be back, she placed the key in her dress pocket and went with the police. When they got downstairs her mother started screaming for her father and he came out of his hiding place and went with them.

Now the thing is Sarah is a ten year-old girl, so she didn’t understand what was going on, she thought they will be back by the time the sun went down and she will get her brother out of the closet, she thought he was safe.

The story of Julia Jarmond is that she is an American who fell in love with a French man, she moved to Paris and they have a daughter together. Julia was responsible for writing a story for the newspaper, on the 60^th anniversary of the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup. And with her research she discovered shocking secrets in her husband’s family that connect her to Sarah. With Julia’s discoveries she feels compelled to trace Sarah’s steps all the way from the stadium where they were held to the concentration camps. With each new discovery Julia finds herself reassessing her marriage and her place in France.

This book is definitely one of the books that I recommend as a must read.

This is what my copy looks like