The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

June 10, 2024

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

Paris 1942 - Eva Traube is a graduate student at the Sorbonne when the Nazis begin to round up the Jews of Paris. Eva's father is arrested by the Nazis, but Eva and her mother escape to the Vichy area which was technically Free France. Eva begins to work with the French resistance, forging documents to help Jewish children escape to Switzerland. But the work becomes increasingly dangerous, and Eva soon finds herself immersed in more clandestine activities.

I was off World War II fiction for a while because there was SOOOOO much of it, but I'm glad I read this one. I really liked the story line and most of the characters, except for Eva's mother. The mother is beyond annoying - she ruined a lot of the book for me (partially because I could hear my own mother's voice in a lot of what she said). If you can, skip any scenes that focus on Eva's mother - I think the author could have left her out altogether without any detriment to the narrative, since Eva had plenty of challenges without her. Recommended to readers who enjoyed The Nightingale or the Alice Network.

Resistance fighters in France