Review: The Other Girl by Pam Jenoff

Title: The Other Girl    

Author: Pam Jenoff     

Published: September 2014, Harlequin MIRA   

Format: E-book, 21 pages   

Source: Netgalley  

One woman’s determination to protect a child from the dangers of war will force her to face those lurking closer to home…

Life
in rural Poland during WWII brings a new set of challenges to Maria,
estranged from her own family and left alone with her in-laws after her
husband is sent to the front. For a young, newly pregnant wife, the days
are especially cold, the nights unexpectedly lonely. The discovery of a
girl hiding in the barn changes everything—Hannah is fleeing the German
police who are taking Jews like her to special camps. Ignoring the risk
to her own life and that of her unborn child, Maria is compelled to
help. But in these dark days, no one can be trusted, and soon Maria
finds her courage tested in ways she never expected and herself facing
truths about her own family that the quiet village has kept buried for
years…

From the international bestselling author of The
Kommandant’s Girl comes a searing historical companion novella to The
Winter Guest

My thoughts: This is a very short novella that complements Pam Jenoff’s newest release, The Winter Guest. I have not have the pleasure of reading this new book yet, but after reading this, I am definitely moving it up on my list. 

I love reading stories about how civilians are affected during the wars. In this novella, we get a snapshot of an incident involving two young girls during the Nazi occupation. Because of the length of the book, there really isn’t that much character development, just enough so we understand some of the motivations for the two main characters. The story is pretty tightly focused on this one incident and so there isn’t much else going on.

I do wonder if this storyline is picked up in any way in The Winter Guest or if it was just a superfluous character sketch that Pam Jenoff had created and wanted to share with her readers? I guess I will find out when I pick up The Winter Guest. Either way, I’m excited to read the full-length novel and did enjoy this companion novel. It has certainly whetted my appetite for more of her writing. Have you read this or The Winter Guest yet?