Began reading: 15.4.2015
Completed reading: 21.4.2015
Overall rating: 4 stars
With no parents to care for them, eighteen-year-old twins Helena and Ruth Nowak are forced to look after their younger siblings. In the rural areas of Poland, and under Nazi occupation, there is little in the way of food and money. For the twins, protecting their family from danger and suffering has been their sole priority, until Helena finds an injured Jewish American paratrooper in the woods. Despite the danger that hiding the enemy brings to her and her family, Helena knows that she must keep him safe from the German military. As she cares for the paratrooper, Helena’s feelings deepen and plan a life beyond Poland together. Dealing with jealousy, hardships and an act of betrayal, Helena faces choices and consequences that will impact her and her family over decades and continents.
The Winter Guest by Pam Jenoff is a historical fiction novel that contains aspects of war and traces of romance. Jenoff has infused the novel with themes of betrayal, survival, persecution, family and the hardships of war, which lends the novel a sense of honesty and tragedy.
Jenoff’s novel was brutally honest, which is what I really loved about it. Only a few characters got a happy ending, but by that, I mean that they survived and found some happiness. The characters who survived still had to live with pain, loss and unanswered questions, so they didn’t exactly live happily ever after. The novel contained a lot of emotion, and almost brought me to tears a couple of times. Here are some examples of how brutally honest the plot is:
No one expected to find themselves in these circumstances, parentless with a household of children to care for. People in other times grew up and got married and had families, planning for life to carry on as it had for centuries. It was all different now, though — some of them would make it and some not, it all came down to chance (p. 176).
But even if they stood in place, the world around them would not. Things were pulling them apart, and if they did not move with the powerful tides they would be swept away (p. 192).
There was no good to come from keeping Helena’s hopes alive falsely. But she should accept the hard truth and move on to the next chapter of their lives (p. 251).
As I just mentioned, the story had brought tears to my eyes a few times, which proves how well-written the book really was. Jenoff used a lot of descriptive language to explain the situation of the characters, which made it easier for me to visualise. The plot was very emotional and seemed very realistic.
Our family had become the stuff of once upon a time, bedtime lore or a fantasy world that had not truly existed (p. 305).
The plot focuses around World War II and the Holocaust, which is a significant part of history. I have never read a novel that is based on such a solemn event, so I found it both interesting and chilling. The Nowak family suffers from poverty, so it was interesting to get an insight into how those who are less fortunate live, and how they are able to remain optimistic, despite their hardships.
The Winter Guest was told through only two perspectives: Helena’s and Ruth’s. I think this was great because I got an insight into how different these twins are. According to Ruth, Helena is the stronger, tomboyish twin: “Helena had navigated the steep, rocky countryside with her father all her life” (p. 15). Ruth is described as the more pretty and ladylike twin, who prefers to stay at home doing chores and caring for the children.
My favourite character is Helena Nowak, mostly because she is the character whom I admired the most. She loves adventure, and is very curious. She is brave, loyal and incredibly optimistic. She was also the twin who felt as though providing comfort and affection did not come naturally to her, and had a few insecurities.
She stopped herself from telling him about Ruth, the fact that she had a twin. She did not want to acknowledge her prettier sister (p. 65).
I really enjoyed reading about the relationship between Helena and Sam, the paratrooper, because it was romantic, without being mushy. Sam was so protective of Helena, such a hero, which made me warm to the romance in the novel. This single quote was the one that made me especially emotional:
He wrapped his arms around her and breathed in her ear. “Save me a dance, okay?” She nodded, unable to answer. “Until then, I’ll see you in my dreams” (p. 296).
If you enjoyed “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas”, you will love this book.
Happy reading!
Like and follow!
Instagram: @thebasicbookworm
Twitter: @BasicBookworm
No comments :
Post a Comment