I have read a number of great books this summer, including The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, A Reliable Wife, Girl in Translation, Game Change, Those Who Save Us, The Help and a few others. But none have touched me in quite the same way as Sarah’s Key (although The Help was a close second). I was literally depressed after reading it.

I have always been interested in books about the Holocaust ever since reading Number the Stars in elementary school. I think it’s important to remember that horrific time and honor those who were lucky enough to survive. We cannot forget to acknowledge those who lived through it, and remember the memory of those who did not.

Sarah’s Key is set in Paris, which is quite different from many other books I have read. In fact, I’m sorry to say that I hadn’t heard about the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup until reading this book (and I imagine many others had not either). It’s a piece of history that is both hard to read about and impossible to forget.

In the first half of the book, we see the juxtaposition of Sarah and the modern day protagonist Julia – as each uncovers the truth of the summer of 1942. The only thing that could have made the book better would have been to continue the narrative of Sarah, a key voice in telling the story. There could have been so much more to her story, and the book loses some of its momentum without her insight. I also found some parts in Julia’s story to be self-serving at points, but perhaps that just makes her more human. Her need to discover and drive others to divulge their secrets can be seen as both heroic and selfish.

Through the experiences of Sarah, we learn first hand the heartbreaking story of Vel’d'Hiv, and through Julia’s research we learn about how the French react – pushing it away as a stain on their history they would rather not think about. But, how could they not? It was through their hands, their government, their police force that thousands of children and families were sent to their death. Julia has her own demons to contend with, managing a somewhat failing marriage and ambiguity about her future. In a way, her research of Vel’d'Hiv’ ends up being her saving grace.

The story has many themes throughout, including the impact of secrets (from generation to generation, between husbands and wives, between parents and children), the power of denial, the consequences of guilt and regret and the strength of love.

Sarah’s Key is about one young girl’s journey, and one woman’s path to freedom. Not for the faint of heart, but a moving, must-read novel that will have you cheering and crying all at the same time.

Never Forget.

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