Thursday, August 4, 2016

The Sugar Men

The Sugar MenSixty-four years ago, Susannah Morgan managed to flee the horrors of the Holocaust. But the memories of that childhood ordeal have proven impossible to sweep away.

For most of her new life spent settled in sleepy North Carolina, the flashbacks have been a lonely obsession—one she has hidden from her family, and about which her heart is torn. Because for all the pain and the cruelty of those terrible years, she harbours sweet memories too, of unexpected friends who risked their own lives in order to save hers. As Susannah’s time on earth draws to a close, her innermost thoughts of those long-gone days become questions—ones that demand answers.

Against the wishes of her children, Susannah returns to Germany and the scene of unspeakable crimes. There she will come face to face with the Holocaust’s terrible, wretched legacy, and will finally make peace with the ghosts of her past.

I will be the first to admit, I passed judgment on this book before I even opened it and it proved me so wrong!  I was immediately connected to the characters and felt so invested in their lives and stories.  I had to remind myself several times that while the events in history did happen, that the story was fictional.  I think anytime a story feels that real, it's accomplishing its task of being a wonderful, engaging read.  I have read countless WWII novels as well as novels set in holocaust camps, but this one was one of my favorites.  So many of those novels tend to be long and drawn out, but this author was able to pack the same punch in a much simpler way and I really appreciated it.  I requested another Ray Kingfisher novel and I will be picking it up very soon!  

 * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *