I read a hardback version of The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
Genre: Historical fiction, based on a true story
Publisher: Zaffre Publishing
Originally published: January 11th, 2018
Pages: 288 (Hardback)
Blurb by the publisher:
For readers of Schindler’s List, The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas comes a heart-breaking story of the very best of humanity in the very worst of circumstances.
I tattooed a number on her arm. She tattooed her name on my heart.
In 1942, Lale Sokolov arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau. He was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival – scratching numbers into his fellow victims’ arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust.
Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale – a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer – it was love at first sight. And he was determined not only to survive himself but to ensure this woman, Gita, did, too.
So begins one of the most life-affirming, courageous, unforgettable and human stories of the Holocaust: the love story of the tattooist of Auschwitz.
My thoughts:
Ever since I read The Diary of Anne Frank as a young girl, I’ve had a soft spot for historical fiction and non-fiction about World War Two. Some of it is because of the fact that Jewish blood runs in our family, but mostly I find it fascinating and equally tragic.
Heather Morris spent three years listening to Mr. Sokolov’s memories of his time at Auschwitz, and what that resulted in was a beautiful, yet heartbreaking love story. And not only that but also a fascinating story of surviving through a war, in the hope of a better future.
I devoured this book! It was intriguing from beginning till end, and just knowing that it was based on a true story made it even more interesting.
I smiled when they fell in love, I gasped and fell physically ill by some of the treatment they had to endure, and I cried and cried for what they experienced and for the beauty of this true kind of love that was shared between two people, and also their friends.
To read the stories of love through war and hardship is a bittersweet experience. I am so moved by how much they would sacrifice for love, for the dedication and the beauty of something so true. And my heart also breaks when I compare that to how easily love often is thrown away in our modern society.
Lale and Gita’s story is one that will touch your heart and stay there for a long time. Heather Morris made their story come to life in the most beautiful way that felt very real and honest.
We need these stories. We need to be reminded of what happened so that we can be sure that it will not happen on that scale ever again!
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a wonderful love story, but it is also so much more than that!
Highly, highly recommend!
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Christina de Vries 