by Carly Schabowski
Publisher: Bookouture
Pages: 249
Format: eARC
Buy the Book: Amazon
Goodreads: Snow falls and a woman prepares for a funeral she has long expected, yet hoped would never come. As she pats her hair and straightens her skirt, she tells herself this isn’t the first time she’s lost someone. Lifting a delicate, battered wristwatch from a little box on her dresser, she presses it to her cheek. Suddenly, she’s lost in memory…
January 1945. Dachau, Germany. As the train rattles through the bright, snowy Bavarian countryside, the still beauty outside the window hides the terrible scenes inside the train, where men and women are packed together, cold and terrified. Jewish watchmaker Isaac Schüller can’t understand how he came to be here, and is certain he won’t be leaving alive.
When the prisoners arrive at Dachau concentration camp, Isaac is unexpectedly pulled from the crowd and installed in the nearby household of Senior Officer Becher and his young, pretty, spoiled wife. With his talent for watchmaking, Isaac can be of use to Becher, but he knows his life is only worth something here as long as Becher needs his skills.
Anna Reznick waits table and washes linens for the Bechers, who dine and socialise and carry on as if they don’t constantly have death all around them. When she meets Isaac she knows she’s found a true friend, and maybe more. But Dachau is a dangerous place where you can never take love for granted, and when Isaac discovers a heartbreaking secret hidden in the depths of Becher’s workshop, it will put Anna and Issac in terrible danger…
Kritters Thoughts: Isaac Schuller has a skill that he never thought could possibly save his life. As a watchmaker, he has the ability to fix a lot of things with motors and such and instead of working in a concentration camp, he is asked to go to the home of the supervisor and fix things in his home. With a maid who sneaks him food and a place to work, this could completely alter his life.
Yes, this is another one of those World War II books that as hard to read, but worth every page. There were moments where I had a difficult time reading because the horror of what happened was weirdly beautifully written and captivating. There are times when we each need to be reminded of what happened in the past, so we have the hope to not repeat it and this book presented what happened in a way that I could digest it and see the truth pain that was inflicted on a group of people.
If you think you have read all of the World War II books, you should add this one to the list, but read with caution as it is hard and heavy.
Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row
Ebook 2020 Challenge: 137 out of 100
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from Bookouture. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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