Book Review: Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay

Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door-to-door arresting French families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard-their secret hiding place-and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.

Sixty Years Later: Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own romantic future.

4/5 stars (really liked it)

This story alternates between Sarah in 1942 and Julia in 2002, both taking place in France.  Sarah, her mother & father are taken by the French Police to a concentration camp.  Not knowing the severity of what is happening, Sarah locks her 4 year old brother Michel in a secret cupboard promising to return to him and get him out.  We follow her story as she is separated from her parents, has her head shaved and is faced with in-humane conditions along with other children.  While the whole time she is carrying the key to the cupboard trying to get back to her brother.  Julia is an American married to a French man living in Paris.  She is asked to write a story on the Velodrome d'Hiver (Vel' d'Hiv) round up that took place on July 16, 1942.  Through her research she comes upon the story of Sarah.  But Sarah becomes so much more than a little girl to her and makes her see so many things in her life.  The end of the book mostly deals with Julia's story as it wraps up Sarah's.  I myself did not know about Vel' d'Hiv and find it such a sad thing that was done.