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.

Popularity: 20% [?]

I just finished reading Jonathan Tropper’s latest book, This is Where I Leave You. It was a great book that I really enjoyed. I found myself laughing out loud through most of the book, and really identifying with the main character, Judd. The fast paced book paints a pretty picture of a family and neighborhood that could be any number families in any suburb across the country. Very relatable.

Judd’s wife has just left him for his boss, and his father has just died of stomach cancer. As a dying wish, his father asks that the family come together to sit shiva, the full seven days. Judd’s older brother Paul and his wife Alice, his sister Wendy and her husband Barry (and their two kids), and his youngest brother Paul and his new fiancee Tracy, all descend on the Foxman house. Through a parade of neighbors, flashbacks, and plenty of family feuds, Judd and his siblings embark on a week that will change the family forever.

My favorite parts of the book included Judd’s recount of how he found out his wife was cheating on him, his reflections to his relationship with Jen, and the family squabbles that occurred. The book covered heartache and relationships in depth, with themes of trust and betrayal, forgiveness and redemption. My only problem was that I didn’t want the book to end, and thought that everything wrapped up a little too neatly. But, overall I highly recommend it.

The book is currently being written for the screen, and I’m looking forward to seeing it. I can imagine some of the book may be hard to translate since much of it takes place inside of Judd’s thoughts, but the characters are real enough to picture. So real in fact, that I included my own picks for the cast of characters.

Judd Foxman – Mark Feuerstein. He’s funny and likeable.

Jen Foxman – Kate Hudson or Portia De Rossi. Need a hot blonde.

Wade – Julian McMahon. His character on Nip/Tuck makes him appropriately heinous.

Paul – Michael Rapaport. He can play angry or funny. I could also see him being a former baseball star. The red hair might be an issue with the other brown haired brothers though.

Alice – Renee Zellweger. She can be pleasant, normal and tragically sad at the same time.

Wendy – Joan Cusack or Jennifer Westfeldt. Joan always plays the perfect mom and “older sister knows best” character. If her age is an issue, then I pick Jennifer, who is fantastic and sweet.

Barry – Jon Favreau. All I could think of was his character in I Love You, Man. A distant jerk in the book, Jon could pull off the powerful, overworked father.

Phillip – Adam Brody. Appropriately young and likeable enough, he could really get into some trouble.

Tracy – Melora Hardin. A nice cougar who could definitely be a life coach.

Linda – Audrey Wasilewski – the neighbor that was more.

Horry – David Cross. Only because I saw him on an episode of Just Shoot Me where he pretended to be a bit slow. I thought he could capture Horry’s brain problems and also be seen as a little bit of a ladies man.

Penny – Natasha Lyonne. Kind of pretty, but mostly forgettable. A fun-loving who never quite got out of town. She must have great legs though.

Hillary Foxman (mom) – Jessica Walter or Amy Sedaris and Keri Russell. Thanks to Gayle for the suggestion of Jessica. Amy Sedaris could be another option (though she would need larger boobs).  For a younger version, I pick Kerri Russell.

Morty Foxman (dad) – Dennis Farina and Eli Roth. Seen mostly in flashbacks, I needed someone tough with a seldom seen soft side. For a younger version, I pick Eli Roth.

Charlie Grodner (Boner) – Josh Radnor. I love him in How I Met Your Mother, and he seems like he would make a great former sidekick-turned-rabbi to the Foxman boys.

Popularity: 3% [?]

I recently finished the book The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards. It was a great book with beautiful imagery and a heartbreaking, but good story. The book takes you through 25 years of secrets, families, and a hope for redemption and forgiveness. I guess it gets a little long at points, but overall I enjoyed it.

The next book on my list is The History of Love…

Popularity: 9% [?]