About the Book:
Grieving the loss of her mother, college student Lilah is hoping to reconnect with a grandfather who refuses to talk about his past. Then she receives a mysterious letter from a fellow student, Tommaso, claiming he’s found a lost family heirloom, and her world is upended.
Soon Lilah finds herself in Rome, trying to unlock her grandfather’s history as a Holocaust survivor once and for all. But as she and Tommaso get closer to the truth—and their relationship begins to deepen into something sweeter—Lilah realizes that some secrets may be too painful to unbury…
Then:
It’s 1943, and nineteen-year-old Bruna and her family are doing their best to survive in Rome’s Jewish quarter under Nazi occupation. Until the dreaded knock comes early one morning, and Bruna is irrevocably separated from the rest of her family.
Overcome with guilt at escaping her family’s fate in the camps, she joins the underground rebellion. When her missions bring her back to her childhood crush, Elsa, Bruna must decide how much she’s willing to risk—when fully embracing herself is her greatest act of resistance.
*Review Contributed by Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer*
College student Lilah is still grieving over the death of her mother. She tries to reconnect with her grandfather, who refuses to discuss his past. Everything Lilah’s known is turned on its head after she receives a mysterious letter from Italy. In that letter, a fellow student, Tommaso, claims to have found a lost family locket. While in Italy, Lilah learns about her grandfather’s missing sister and her part in the Italian resistance during WWII. This knowledge has her grandfather open up about his tragic past, and for Lilah to learn more about her own family history.
What worked: Engaging, mystery of the truth behind a family heirloom during WWII. This story has two different timelines. There’s the contemporary time with Lilah searching for the truth behind her grandfather’s refusal to speak about his childhood, and in the process, to get closer to him. The second timeline is her grandfather’s sister Bruna’s story. As a Jewish teen, she avoids being rounded up by the Germans and ends up joining the resistance. Her story is one of hope, defiance, and resistance. It’s also a story of being true to who you are, even when the world labels you as the enemy.
I found Bruna’s story fascinating and was totally engaged. The LGBT romance part is tragic, but also has hope in it. During Mussolini’s time in power, such relationships were not only frowned on, but it was also dangerous. Bruna was not only Jewish but queer.
Lilah’s story was one of coming to terms with not only the death of her mother, but also reaching out to her distant grandfather. The reluctance to speak out about the war was very realistic. The only thing that took me out of this story was all the direct translations. Also, the backstory could have been woven throughout.
The Holocaust story needs to be told, especially now with the growing number of those who deny it.
Moving story of resistance and survival in the face of evil. Also, the power of love in difficult, trying times.
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