I do think this is a really great book but I was bothered by some aspects. So onwards.... Sarah of the title is a little girl in WWII Paris and, unfortunately for her at the time, Jewish. The only way you don't know about Nazis and what happened during WWII is if you live under a rock or are willfully ignorant. But, I have to admit, that I did not know about the situation in Paris at the time.
Sarah was part of the Vel' d'Hiv roundup (aka Operation Spring Breeze - really??) where over 13,000 Jews were arrested and placed in "holding" in a a Velodrome that quickly became a filthy, sickly, horrendous place to be. From there, they are moved to "camps" and, at that point, most people knows where things go.
Julia is an American journalist in Paris who is tasked with writing about the anniversary of this event. The more she learns, the more horrified she becomes, and the more she realizes that the French would rather pretend it never happened. What's the good of reliving the past? (So you don't repeat it??). Her marriage to Frenchman, Bertrand, is in trouble and becomes more troubled when she finds out she's pregnant.
As the stories separately continue, we start seeing where they mesh together. Past and present are linked and the journey for the truth of what happened to Sarah becomes a quest for Julia.
I loved the story. It kills me the monstrous acts that humans inflict on one another and each time I think it's as bad as we get... I find it gets worse. The majority of the Jews arrested that day in Paris? Children. Around 4,000 of those rounded up were children.
The youngest on record being sent to Auschwitz? 18 months old.
Dads went sent directly away while later on, mothers were forcibly ripped from their children and sent to their death.
Everyone has to face their history. This is the history of our world, that everyone was involved in. Either fighting against or going along with. I strongly encourage everyone to do research into this and learn.
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