Staff Pick
Set during the occupation of the Vichy government in France during WWII, this is a heartbreaker of a book. When Sarah's family is targeted by the Vel d'Hiv roundup, she locks her little brother in a cupboard to keep him safe and promises she'll come back for him. A beautifully told story, this is one WWII book you will never forget. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
More than two years on the
New York Times bestseller list.
Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door to door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard — their secret hiding place — and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.
Sixty Years Later: Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own future.
In Sarah's Key, Tatiana de Rosnay offers up a mesmerizing story in which a tragic past unfolds, the present is torn apart, and the future is irrevocably altered.
Review
“A shocking, profoundly moving, and morally challenging story…nothing short of miraculous. It will haunt you, it will help to complete you…” Augusten Burroughs, New York Times bestselling author of Wolf at the Table and Running with Scissors
Review
“Rich in mystery, intrigue and suspense, Sarah's Key made me wonder and weep.” The Roanoke Times
Review
“This is a remarkable historical novel. Like Sophie's Choice, it's a book that impresses itself upon one's heart and soul forever.” Naomi Ragen, author of The Tenth Song
Synopsis
Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.
Tatiana de Rosnay offers us a brilliantly subtle, compelling portrait of France under occupation and reveals the taboos and silence that surround this painful episode.
About the Author
Tatiana de Rosnay is the international bestselling author of ten novels. Together with Dan Brown and Stieg Larsson, she was named one of the top three fiction writers in Europe in 2010. Tatiana lives with her husband and two children in Paris, where she is at work on her next novel.