Sarah's Key

 

 

The novel "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay has been on my to-read list for quite awhile. I had forgotten about it until I saw it sitting on a shelf at my sister-in-law's house. This spurred me to borrow the book, and I have just recently finished reading it. Although I thought I would really like this novel, it was not as good as I expected it to be.

The novel is fictional, but it is based on a real event - the Vel d'Hiv Roundup. It consists of two different stories that become linked as the novel progresses. The first story is about a young Jewish girl who was living in Paris, France during the Holocaust. Her family is arrested in the middle of the night during the Vel d'Hiv Roundup. During the arrest, they are told they can pack a few clothes; the police officers had not seen her younger brother, so she locks him in a cupboard thinking that she will come back for him shortly. The novel describes the events of Vel d'Hiv, and tells the story of those who were in the concentration camps. The second story is about the life of a journalist who is writing about the Vel d'Hiv Roundup. As she investigates the roundup, she becomes consumed with the past, and she also learns more information about her family's history.

I was really excited to read this book because generally I love fictional books that are based on real life events. It seemed like the type of book I would really enjoy. Although I liked the concept of the book, I found it somewhat predictable. I personally like books that have an element of surprise.

The chapters alternate from the young girl's story to the journalist's story for the majority of the novel. When it is telling the young girl's story, it refers to her as "the girl". I found this somewhat strange, although my guess is it was to try to keep the identity of the girl hidden for part of the novel. I would have liked it better if the author had called her by name for the entire novel.

I also found it hard to connect with some of the characters. I like reading books where I can relate to the characters, or imagine exactly how the characters would be in real life. I found this hard to do for this novel. Some of the characters seemed somewhat superficial, like they did not have strong distinct personalities. I think some of the characters could have been developed a little further.

I tend to judge a book by whether I would buy it after reading it. I only buy books that I would want to read multiple times and recommend to others. I saw it two different times at a yard sale this weekend and did not feel the need to buy it.

Overall, although I thought the idea for the novel was good, and that it educated people about the Vel d'Hiv Roundup (I had never heard of it before), I had higher expectations for the novel.