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Tuesday, July 2, 2024

All The Broken Places by John Boyne

We meet ninety-one-year old Gretel.

She has been keeping a secret her entire life.


We find out what it is as we see her during the war, during her youth, as she ages, and at her present age.


Her father was in charge of one of the concentration camps, and that bothers her.  She has always felt that she was complicit too.


Her life was good, but her secret was always in the back of her mind as she always tried to hide it.


She has lived in the same flat for almost her entire life, and when a new family moves in, they seem to be hiding things too.


Gretel makes friends with their son who seems to need saving.  If she can help him, will it make up for what she saw and felt she was responsible for during the war?


A powerful, beautifully written, heart wrenching read that historical fiction fans will devour.


The writing, the characters, and the story are phenomenal and come alive through the author's exquisite skill. 5/5



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