J.B. Williams

I received this book through an author giveaway, in exchange for a review.

Set in post-WWII Amsterdam, this story concerns the encounter between two survivors of the death camps - Jan and Clara. Both have lost family and are piecing together their lives in the midst of the chaos of a city newly freed from the tyranny of war.

Clara's journey is difficult - she is subsumed with hate for anything to do with the German regime and cannot bring herself to trust anyone. Jan identifies her as a kindred spirit and makes it his mission to help her.

This is a touching love story. I really enjoyed the description of life in Amsterdam and the growing family of people who care for the young couple.

I've read a fair bit of similar (i.e. WWII survivor) fiction recently and this measures up quite well. Apart from some basic proofreading errors and poor quality printing throughout - this was annoying - I enjoyed it. Plot-wise, I found the ending a little brief and therefore slightly disappointing. I would have liked a more in-depth look at Jan's journey when he is the one needing support.

These things aside, this was a good read. As far as I know, it is well researched with good attention to detail. It opened my eyes to some of the after-effects of war and the personal suffering attached to stories of survival. Why not try it?… (mere)