Sarah's Key

Sarah’s Key By: Tatiana De Rosnay

This is a story of Sarah, who was taken with her parents by the French Police during a round up of Jewish people in France during July of 1942.  And the story of Julia Jarmond, a journalist who is doing a journal article about the event 60 years later.  Sarah has no idea why the police are at her door and barging in, all she knows is that her father is hiding in the basement and she needs to hide her brother.  So she tells her brother that she will be back for him and locks him into the closet they like to hide in.  Her mother is scared but believes that her husband will stay hidden and come and get the boy.  When the father comes running to meet the family, Sarah tells him it will be okay they can come and get the brother when they are allowed to return. As the story unfolds it is clear that they will not be back and Sarah is desperate to go back and claim her brother even after being sent to a concentration camp. She just hopes it will be in time.

Julia is an American who moved to France and married a Frenchman.  She is writing for an American newspaper in France and is asked to cover the anniversary story for the sad day called the Vil’ d’Hiv’. She is surprised when not many people really know what happened and those that do don’t want to talk about it.  As the story of this sad day unfolds she is desperate to find out more about the girl named Sarah, who she finds out, was living in the apartment of her husband’s family. As Julia tries to make amends to this little girl she is so enthralled with, her marriage is falling apart. What choice does Julia have to make but to try to help the family of this girl? 

This story will mesmerize you. It will make you cry, but it is totally worth it.  I couldn’t put the book down wanting to get to the end hoping for the best for these two girls’ generations apart.

I purchased this book at Bookman’s, a local used book store. ISBN: 978-0-312-37084-8