Daughters of the Occupation by Shelly Sanders #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Harper Audio for the ALC and TLC Book Tours & Harper, #partner,  for the finished copy of Daughters of the Occupation in exchange for my honest review. 

Publisher: Harper / Harper Audio

Published: May 3, 2022

 

Summary:

Inspired by true events in World War II Latvia, an emotionally charged novel of sacrifice, trauma, resilience, and survival, as witnessed by three generations of women. 

On one extraordinary day in 1940, Miriam Talan’s comfortable life is shattered. While she gives birth to her second child, a son she and her husband, Max, name Monya, the Soviets invade the Baltic state of Latvia and occupy the capital city of Riga, her home. Because the Talans are Jewish, the Soviets confiscate Max’s business and the family’s house and bank accounts, leaving them with nothing.

Then, the Nazis arrive. They kill Max and begin to round up Jews. Fearing for her newborn son and her young daughter, Ilana, Miriam asks her loyal housekeeper to hide them and conceal their Jewish roots to keep them safe until the savagery ends.

Three decades later, in Chicago, 24-year-old Sarah Byrne is mourning the untimely death of her mother, Ilana. Sarah’s estranged grandmother, Miriam, attends the funeral, opening the door to shocking family secrets. Sarah probes Miriam for information about the past, but it is only when Miriam is in the hospital, delirious with fever, that she begs Sarah to find the son she left behind in Latvia.

Traveling to the Soviet satellite state, Sarah begins her search with the help of Roger, a charismatic Russian-speaking professor. But as they come closer to the truth, she realizes her quest may have disastrous consequences.

A magnificent, emotionally powerful story of family and the lingering devastation of war, The Daughters of the Occupation explores how trauma is passed down in families and illuminates the strength and grace that can be shared by generations.

 

My thoughts:

Historical fiction will forever be one of my favorite genres. I feel that there is just so much to read, and learn, from these books, as is the case with this book. Even though the market is saturated with WWII books, there continue to be ones written that take on a new perspective that I haven’t read yet.

While this very much is a story about the war – and the unique part is that we are given Latvia’s perspective – it is also a story about survival and trauma. I loved that it was told using the dual narrative, moving back and forth from Miriam’s perspective in the 1940s in Latvia to Sarah’s perspective in the 1970s in Chicago. It’s only after Sarah’s mother dies that she learns about her mother’s past and what her grandmother went through in Latvia during the war.

This is such a powerful story. It’s both haunting and heartbreaking and I found that because the writing is so vivid, I had to take breaks throughout. I felt deeply for these characters and could not even imagine what they went through – it really puts in perspective what was going on in the Ukraine to some extent, the families being separated.

This book is one that I strongly urge all historical fiction readers to pick up. It portrays intergenerational trauma so well, which is something that is such a hot topic these days. This is definitely one I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

 

Audio thoughts:

I was given the chance to listen to this one and what a treat it was. The narrator, Kathleen Gati, is one of my favorite narrators, and she performed this one to perfection. Her accent, her pacing, the emotions she brought – it all came together for a pitch perfect performance.