Sarah's Key
by Tatiana de Rosnay
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Book Reviews of Sarah's Key
Book Review: Plot filled with instances of coincidence, predictability, and contrivance brings to light dark days in France's past.
Summary: 2 Stars
That this book brings attention to France's atrocious actions against the(ir) Jews during WWII is its only redeeming quality. The primary event, which took place on July 16, 1942, was dubbed (p 27) `"The great roundup at the Velodrome d'Hiver...Thousands of Jewish families, locked up there for days, in appalling conditions. Then sent to Auschwitz. And gassed,"' (p 50) "In the end, France sent nearly eighty thousand Jews to the death camps." These acts (p 116) were performed, "By the French government, on French buses, on French trains." In attempting to transform these events into a compelling story, author Tatiana de Rosnay dreamt up an absolutely incredible plot, filled with odds defying moments of extreme coincidence, predictability, and contrivance. Read on (but beware of spoilers) at your own risk.
The basis of the novel, absolutely unbelievable to any parent, is one of its biggest flaws. When authorities enter the apartment of a ten-year-old Jewish girl to collect the family, her fearful four-year-old brother hides in a cabinet. She locks him in, pockets the key, promises to return later, and lies to the police, telling them he's gone away. Once outside the building, her mother KNOWING THAT HER HUSBAND AND CHILD ARE SAFE IN HIDING calls out her husband's name. He exits his safety spot and joins his wife and daughter. The first words one would expect to come out of his mouth are, "Where is Michel?" Instead, he is silent, and doesn't mention the boy until they've gone further. In fact, he chooses not to mention anything to the authorities until many hours later, sealing the boy's fate.
Other improbable, unlikely, contrived, or just plain annoying events:
It just so happens that the grandmother of one of Julia's acquaintances, Guillame, was the only person in her family who, because of her age, was not rounded up.
(p 133) "In true American style, [Julia Jarmond] had never been able to drive a stick shift." Since when don't Americans know how to operate a car with manual transmission?
Sarah escapes the prison camp WITH HELP FROM A POLICEMAN with whom she is acquainted.
With blue eyes and blonde hair she FOOLS A SOLDIER, in spite of the fact that her head is shaved. And why not wear a hat?
Julia, a 45-year-old woman with fertility issues, gets pregnant.
Julia, a 45-year-old woman with fertility issues who gets pregnant CONTEMPLATES ABORTION. That the author wasted our time showing us how much she agonized over the decision, acting like she was actually going to go through with the procedure, and, at the last possible moment (and not until p 183), has Ms. Jarmond make the choice that is obvious to the rest of us, should be considered an insult to any reader with half a brain. Setting the date for the procedure (impossible to change!) as the anniversary of the Vel' d'Hiv' - adds insult to injury.
(p 166) Shouldn't it be, "A bat out of hell."
The Tezac family moves into the apartment vacated by the Starzynski family two weeks prior. They don't bother to investigate the, no doubt, powerful stench emanating from the locked cabinet (containing Michel), attributing the smell to "the drains."
A child, Eduouard, is forced to keep a colossal secret from his own mother. Eduouard asks Julia to keep the same secret from her husband (his son). Julia asks her daughter to keep the same secret from everyone.
Julia's sister Charla calls directory assistance in the US and obtains Sarah's husband's address and phone number, by asking for the listing by state (and, conveniently, guessing the right state on the second try). Last time I checked, calling information, the operator says, "What city please?" An internet search would have made much more sense.
Julia drives to Sarah's husband's house in Connecticut, showing up unannounced.
Julia flies to Italy to see with William, without contacting him ahead of time to see if he is even interested in getting together with her. Same with William, who travels to Paris in hopes of getting in touch with Julia, without trying to get in touch with her ahead of time.
Zoe, who, fluent (and no doubt accentless) in both French and English (p 267), "...accentuat[es] her American accent..."
Mame, (p 267) "Just before her stroke" admits to Zoe that she knew about Sarah all along.
In a country with 308 million persons, Julia and William end up in the same (albeit large)city.
She names her daughter Sarah.
Julia and William get married and have a baby named...Michel. Kidding!
In summary, thin, predictable plot during which journalist Julia Jarmond gains maximum rewards at nearly every turn in sleuthing out the mystery of Sarah's key. With so many books about the Holocaust and Germany's occupation during WWII, I don't recommend reading this one. Better: Suite Francais by Irene Nemirovsky, Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levy, Time's Arrow by Martin Amis, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl.
Book Review: Fascinating & well-written novel with a too-pat conclusion
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the second of Tatiana de Rosnay's novels that I have read, and like the previous one La Mémoire des murs it revolves around a mystery associated with a Parisian apartment.
In this case, the Marais apartment once occupied by ten-year-old Sarah and her family until they are rounded up in an infamous "rafle" of Parisian Jews in July 1942 is about to become home to American-born Julia Jaramond. The property, which has long been the property of her French husband's family, is now vacant, and will be refurbished. Julia, however, in the process of researching a story about the 60th anniversary of the "Vel d'Hiv" roundup, discovers that some of those deportees - who ended up at Auschwitz - had been the previous occupants. But there is no mention of the fate of their young daughter, Sarah...
Thus begins Julia's quest to discover what happened to Sarah, amidst indifference or hostility from many members of her husband's family - reactions that aren't too dissimilar from those of French society as a whole, which prefers to think of the `rafle' as something orchestrated by the Nazis (although it was carried out entirely by French police). The first half of the book is told in short chapters that alternate between the voice of the young Sarah and that of Julia; eventually, the only voice is that of Julia, as she intensifies her search for Sarah's fate.
Some of de Rosnay's plot twists are predictable, especially toward the end of the book when all the loose ends are neatly wrapped up and a bow placed atop their heads in a beautiful but too-tidy package. It's a little too convenient, for instance, that Julia's child happens to be a girl now almost exactly the age that Sarah was in 1942, for instance. (There is a particularly egregious twist or two toward the end, which I won't disclose as they would be spoilers.) Other plot twists are expected - the fate of Sarah's brother, for instance - and anything else would have been dramatic but implausible, as de Rosnay is astute enough to recognize. She avoids other twists that would have been far too blatant - every time I thought to myself, "oh, I know what is coming next", I didn't; the turn was a surprise, although never a shock. The result is a solid if unspectacular narrative, told by a novelist with a great eye for character, dialogue and sense of place. On the Virginia Woolf-to-Sophie Kinsella continuum, this definitely ranks toward the Kinsella end of the spectrum - it's far from unique or literary in either theme or structure - but it's a pageturner with a lot of meat on its bones and some very good writing. Another "thumping good read", if it's OK to say that about a novel that revolves around a tragic event.
While the book is a natural fit for anyone interested in the French experience of the Holocaust (and how they have dealt with the legacy), and would be a great book club read, anyone who is looking for an undemanding but dramatic read based on some strong characters would find it worthwhile. I gather they are making a movie based on the book in France; it would be interesting to see Kristin Scott Thomas (who speaks impeccable French and can put together a mean American accent when required) in the title role, even though she doesn't physically resemble Julia's character. (Hopefully they won't make the same casting errors as they did with the film of Diane Johnson's Le Divorce.)
Which reminds me - anyone curious about what it's like to live as a long-term expat or an American in Paris who doesn't want to tackle Wharton or Henry James, and who likes this book, should try Diane Johnson's three novels (Le Divorce (William Abrahams Book), Le Mariage, L'Affaire). They are more dramatic novels of manners in nature, whereas de Rosnay's is a serious drama, but they do a beautiful job of explaining what happens when Americans try to coexist with the French in Paris. (The film was a very bad version of a not-at-all-bad book.)
Hopefully we will now see some of de Rosnay's other work appear in English??
Book Review: It Should Never Be Forgotten
Summary: 4 Stars
Review: Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Almost a hundred readers published their reviews on Tatiana de Rosnay's novel Sarah's Key. Most of them rated the book in four or five stars, but some of them calling the novel "mediocre" showed a lower rating - three stars. It is necessary to admit that their opinions weren't unfounded and most critical comments were fair. However, from my standpoint, despite the fair critical comments (I don't think it is necessary to list them), the novel deserves a rather high rating, and I will try to explain why.
The book is devoted to the Holocaust. The author describes two stories. One story is about the tragedy of a Jewish girl named Sarah. The story is based on historical fact. In 1942, on the orders of German military authorities, French police brutally arrested all Jewish families in Paris. Almost all of them perished in concentration camps.
The second parallel story is about an American journalist, Julia Jermond, who, writing an article about Vel' d'Hiv's roundup, found out many horrible details of this crime committed by French police. France wanted to forget about its anti-human past and thoroughly concealed it. The author reminds us of those tragic facts. I am not going to retell the stories. They are already well known, but the book gave birth to some of my thoughts.
In her novel, the author writes with anxiety and great concern that people want to forget about the Holocaust. One character of the book says: "Bringing back the past is never a good idea, especially whatever happened during the war. No one wants to be reminded of that, nobody wants to think about that." The book demonstrates that such amnesia can be deadly.
For a long time naïve people believed that the world moves in the direction of higher level of humanization. In their naivety, they missed the point when one of the most horrible and bloodthirsty variety of anthropoids (resembling humans) became active. Russian anthropoids captured power in the Soviet Russia, invented concentration camps and, killing over a million innocent people yearly. Over a period of 20 years they killed at least 20 million, maybe more. Then World War II broke out and the world forgot about the 20 million innocent victims.
Humanlike anthropoids appeared in other countries, and people continued to believe that they were ordinary criminals. People's beliefs melted like a piece of paper in acid when the terrifying truth about fascist factories of deaths became known. People couldn't believe what they learned. Using modern technology, fascist anthropoids made the killing of humans a branch of industry. For human beings, the Holocaust is impossible to understand, it is just unexplainable. And the only way to prevent it from happening again is to never forget it.
The reviewed book is multidimensional, emotionally written but unfortunately, as it has been mentioned in some reviews, it has weak points as well. Nevertheless, I was impressed with the book, its main message makes the readers think, and this is a sign of good literature. The advantage of the book is in the strong civic position of the author that, I think, has made the book a bestseller.
This book is about events which were not wide-known; it reminds people about the necessity to be alert. Otherwise, the modern anthropoids will commit a new Holocaust, and now all people can become their victims. They already are trying to convince us that there is nothing to remember; there wasn't a Holocaust at all.
In general, the book is well written, and author's voice is strong. In my opinion, the book deserves not less than four stars.
Everybody who cares about human life, who reads books not just for entertainment, will read this book with interest and will continue to return to it in his/her mind.
Solomon (Sol) Tetelbaum.
Book Review: This is a novel you won't soon forget as it stays with you long after you've set the book down
Summary: 5 Stars
Sarah Starzynski, an exuberant 10-year-old girl who lives with her parents and younger brother Michel in Paris in the summer of 1942, could never have imagined what horrors her young eyes would see.
During the Nazi occupation of France, raids on Jewish homes were becoming commonplace. In the past, the fathers of these families would be taken away, but on July 16, 1942, a more drastic practice was instituted --- entire families were now to be arrested. French police pounded on the Starzynskis' door one morning. Fearing for her younger brother's safety, Sarah guides Michel to a secret cupboard where they often played and locks him in, reassuring him she would be back to free him when the policemen have left, and she carefully pockets the key. The family is shocked when they are all ordered to leave their apartment, but they still maintain a shred of hope that this will end soon. After all, it's the French police, not German soldiers. They wouldn't let anything happen to them, would they?
What Sarah didn't know at the time was that this particular day began the horrific Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, in which Jewish families were ripped from their homes and placed in an arena in the center of Paris, and later shipped off to concentration camps, some of which were located in France. (The code name for this barbaric ritual was, shockingly, "Operation Spring Breeze.") The stricken Starzynski family look on in horror as they and many of their neighbors and friends are herded into an overcrowded arena, then shipped to work camps outside of the city. Sarah is fearful for her family and especially young Michel left behind in the secret cupboard. Can she risk a daring escape and get back to Paris in time to save him?
Julia Jarmond is a forty-something American journalist living in France for the past 25 years. Although she adapted to life there quite well, marrying a successful Parisian businessman and raising her daughter as a proper French young lady, she is constantly reminded of her stature as the "L'Americaine," especially by her husband's family. She and Bertrand recently inherited his grandparents' apartment and are beginning renovations with the anticipation of continuing their happy lives there.
Due to the upcoming 60th anniversary of that fateful roundup of Jewish families in occupied Paris, Julia is given the assignment of writing a piece for her magazine about Vel' d'Hiv', considered to be a black mark on French history. Over 8,000 Jews were arrested over the two-day period, and more than half that number were children. Julia had never heard of Vel' d'Hiv' and was equally shocked to discover that very few French people knew all the facts, or if they did, were reluctant to speak about it. "Nobody remembers the Vel' d'Hiv' children, you know. Nobody's interested," she's told. But as she delves further into her research, she uncovers a startling connection to young Sarah's story and her own family.
Much like Irene Nemirovsky's SUITE FRANCAISE and Jenna Blum's THOSE WHO SAVE US, Tatiana de Rosnay's compelling novel creates a dual storyline set against the horrific events of the Holocaust. At times heartbreaking and horrifying, SARAH'S KEY is an unforgettable, gripping read concerning one of the darkest times in history. The reader is transfixed by both Sarah's story and modern-day Julia's, and how they come together will leave you breathlessly enthralled. You will be hard-pressed to walk away from this book unchanged.
First published in hardcover in 2007 and now available in paperback, SARAH'S KEY is a natural for book clubs, where it surely will spark lively and riveting discussions, with the most likely questions being "How did I not know about this?" and "Why wasn't I taught about this in school?" At once an enthralling and a revelatory read, this is a novel you won't soon forget as it stays with you long after you've set the book down.
--- Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller
Book Review: Comes up short as a novel - but good history
Summary: 3 Stars
Two sides of sixty years - The 1942 Vel'd'Hiv' roundup of the Jews in France with 10-year-old Sarah locking her brother in the cupboard thinking she'll return, and the 2002 story of Julia, an expat journalist assigned to write about the tragedy - a woman going through life issues brought to a head, in part, by the tragedy she covers. The author allows these characters to alternate chapters until Sarah's story is mostly silent.
I missed Sarah - and wasn't sufficiently interested in the life of Julia. I was horrified by the cruelties of a segment of history of which I was unaware, touched by the kindnesses shown to Sarah (particularly by the good couple), compelled by the efforts to rescue her brother (best part of the book, in my opinion), and disappointed by the predictabilities of the present-day story's characters, esp. Bertrand (Julia's husband). I didn't cry or cheer, unlike other reviewers. The last quarter of the book felt hollow and didn't work for me. It seemed that the author was writing for a younger audience who wouldn't see things coming (yet matters of adultery, abortion - these probably wouldn't be covered in a book for pre-teens, though possibly for teens). Maybe this was written for and would suit a mother/daughter reading group? I can't fault the author for simplifying matters if she was genuinely trying to get wider appeal to spread awareness of this slice of history, but I like my books a little more sophisticated - not so flat. I almost wished Julia HAD lived in the home that had been Sarah's - that might have been more interesting than the neat little package the author left.
I also felt that the continual questions in Sarah's segment grew tiresome and tried too hard to lead us without letting us ask the questions ("Why was this happening to her? Why so much pain, so much suffering, thought the girl. Why such hate? Who had decided this and what for?") - they felt like a crutch. I think Sarah's reactions in all cases were authentic, and I was very glad the points were made - just that the writing device didn't serve as well as it might have.
I liked Julia's daughter Zoe (seemed like a real and spirited person) and honestly, I did like Julia - perhaps I just didn't care enough about the modern story when compared to Sarah's story. Just a lot of family squabbles, people finding things out or situations unfolding in a way that the reader could see from a mile away. Even Zoe's behavior was more or less stereotypical for a "unique" girl of her age, come to think of it. The reactions of the family and others were so predictable. You knew the love interest (who, by the way, you KNEW would be the love interest) would come to terms with things - you knew so many other things. Unfortunate, because the book could have been so much more.
It was clear that the author did much research - it would have been nice to have included at least a brief afterword discussing resources used, reading recommendations, etc. - great for book groups as well, who gravitate to books like this and love more info. Did she interview survivors? By-standers? I think many readers of historical fiction have come to expect this feature - it was crying for something like this.
Bottom line: Sarah's Key was worth reading, I kept turning the pages, but once Sarah was more or less out of the picture, I was less engaged and more frustrated. The predictabilities cancelled out the strengths. I was glad to learn of the true story behind this novel, however, in which the fictional Sarah, according to the author, serves to inform or remind us.