Sarah's Key

The book is a touching portrayal of one of the darkest incidents in French history – Veld’Hiv - the July 16, 1942 roundup of 13,000 Parisian Jews by the French policefor their eventual transport to the Auschwitz death camp. De Rosnay tells thestory by alternating the first person narrative of Sarah Starzynski, a ten yearold involved in the incident, and Julia Jarmond, an American journalist livingin Paris and doing a story on the incident sixty years later. The stories arewoven together till midway through the book.

What made me love the book was also its weakest point. The alternating structure works brilliantly. The story shifts between Julia researching and discovering people and incidents from the event and Sarah’s description of the terrors that surrounded her family. Exactly half way through the book however there is a meeting point where Julia discovers an incident that directly connects her with Sarah’s life. From this point on deRosnay is forced to work strictly with Julia’s voice as she discovers Sarah’sultimate destiny.

Thealternating narrative renders the book dramatic and highly effective and whenthe shift to single narrative occurs that tone is lost. The initial shock anddiscovery the reader feels, both from Sarah’s live account of the terror and Julia’srevealing of how it occurred, dissolves into a less emotionally engaging storyof Julia’s quest to discover what happened to Sarah after the war. Sarah’schapters are gripping and I was rushing through Julia’s to hear Sarah’saccount. Julia always remains an outsider to the incident though she is tied toSarah and the interlinking of the two stories is incredibly effective.

The author uses very effective tools while telling Sarah’sstory. Aside from the story though ten year old eyes, Sarah’s name is not knowuntil a point in the book where she feels safe. Until then she is referred toas ‘the girl’. The book works for it appeals to the mind and the heartsimultaneously. I felt the urging need to read up on the incident once Ifinished the book simply because it is so scarcely spoken off and even themodern day Parisians in the book seem reluctant to speak of it. The book is well written and strikes a very personalchord. The author’s voice and style is very distinctively felt through the bookwithout encroaching on the characters stories.

Sarah’s Key is a book that will remain in the readers mind for a very long time.It works because it speaks of an event hardly known and does not gloss over thereluctance of people to remember the horrific event. The events described in the book deal with hatred andthe human ability to turn a blind eye to a fellow mans suffering. It alsoserves as a horrible reminder as to the repercussions and the worst people cando at times of war. Everybody who hashuman interest and cares about life will read this book with concern andcontinue to return to it time and time again. Historical fiction that teaches always leavesa mark and this is one book that most certainly does that.