Sarah's Key - excellent book

Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay

This book takes place in Paris in July of 1942 when the French police aid the Germans by rounding up thousands upon thousands of Jews - men, women and children. It is called the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup. The adults are taken right to Auschwitz concentration camp. The adults with children are first taken to a holding camp and separated from their children - then taken to Auschwitz. While this book is fictional - all the characters are fictional the events are real. The shocking aspect is to realize that it really wasn't the Germans who did this but the French Police. It is really a shockingly upsetting event in French history. So often when we think of the French during WWII, we think of the French resistant movement - this was the opposite. Extreme opposite. The French police didn't just roundup the Jews but went out of their way to 'get them all', to roundup even more than requested by the Germans. It is a very sad event in French history. I think of the old saying that "evil can only exist when good men do nothing." Often Germans are painted as the problem during WWII but here is an example of not only good men (the French Police) doing nothing but actually being part of the evil. They fully participated.

The author uses an interesting technique - where she has the time being the present day - 60 years later - and a journalist, Julia Jarmond is doing research on the anniversary of the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup for the magazine she writes for. In the process she discovers that her own in-laws were connected to the event and it becomes a personal quest for her to find out what happened to Sarah. Sarah was 10 when arrested with her entire family. Sarah seeks to keep her brother save by hiding him in a cupboard in the wall - as she naively believes she will return to let him out. It is a very moving book.

One of the undercurrents themes of the book is how the characters bury the tragedies in their lives instead of airing them out and talking about them. In the end the inability to talk about them leads to problems in their lives. Julia is criticized for bring to light the family's involvement in Sarah's life. Some in the family refuse to examine it, talk about it - they want to just bury every thing - all emotions, all problems, all issues. They want to put a pretty face on things and move on. Yet it is like a sore that festers -- those in the family that finally examine their history and deal with the emotions of it are able to move on in a healthier way.

I really enjoyed the book jumping from past to present. It kept the story moving and added intrigue. A very good book and well written.