The Lost Wife

I love Nazi Germany books. The Book Thief, Sarah's Key, The Gernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Diary of a Young Girl, The Hiding Place, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I could go on and on. However, I read tons of this time period last year, so I took some time off. What a great book to come back to.

The Lost Wife was recommended to me by a friend. It's about a husband and wife who get separated from one another during WW2. Both are Jewish. Both are listed as dead. However, both are alive unbeknownst to the other. Aylson Richman does a great job with this novel. She tells and writes the story well. She narrates the story by going back and forth in time and between the characters.

This is not just another Nazi Germany book. It weaves art and love into it - it's more of a love story than a WW2 story. She recalls the concentration camp horrors with little detail. The reader knows how tragic is it because of other works outside of this book. The purpose of The Lost Wife is to tell a story of how beautiful love is and how powerful art can be. It'd also be a great book club book. It's beautiful and tragic.

One thing I love about the book is that it's almost historical fiction. Some of the characters surrounding the art side of the book were actually real. The art smuggling out of the camp happened. I love that I learned something new about WW2 through this authentic work of fiction.