Publication Date 16.04.21
Ukraine, 1943
On a train from Ukraine to Germany, Lisa Smirnova is terrified for her life. The train is under Nazi command, heading for one of Hitler’s rumoured labour camps. As she is taken away from everything she holds dear, Lisa wonders if she will ever see her family again.
In Nazi-occupied Kiev, Irina Antonova knows she could be arrested at any moment. Trapped in a job registering the endless deaths of the people of Kiev, she risks her life every day by secretly helping her neighbours, while her husband has joined the Soviet partisans, who are carrying out life-threatening work to frustrate the German efforts.
When Lisa’s train is intercepted by the partisans, Irina’s husband among them, these women’s lives will take an unimaginable turn. As Irina fights to protect her family and Lisa is forced to confront the horrors of war, together they must make an impossible decision: what would they be willing to lose to save the people they love?
Five Star Review
Heart breaking tale of loss, courage and love. A unique twist on world war two books.
This book is harrowing in parts and so well written that you feel a part of the scenes. You feel the cold, the danger, the unrelenting hunger. It is terrifying to witness such atrocities but there is real beauty here too. Courage in human hope and kindness.
I haven't read a book from this perspective before and it was fascinating to experience the perspectives of the Partisans. I felt so immersed in their lives and the horrors around them. Their fight to survive and stop the Nazis.
But we also get to see the daily lives in war torn Kiev, how life was for them and the sacrifices they made. How families and friends were ripped apart.
Lisa and Irina are such strong female characters. I rooted for them throughout the narrative. Such brave women and I thought it fantastic that the women that played their part on a daily basis were given a voice in this book. How many others died silently?
When they both to come together for a specific act the tension is palpable and you feel anxious and afraid of how everything will end. Lana Kortchiks's writing is intelligent and gorgeous. she knows just what to do to get your heart pounding.
Highly Recommended for lovers of historical fiction.