Disposition
This book caught my eye on Goodreads. I decided to do the audible version while I gave Brit Boy a chance to catch up on Becoming, which we were listening to at the same time. It’s probably been a few decades since I have read a book set during the holocaust, but for whatever reason it felt like the right time.
Editorial
I have mixed feelings about this book. First and foremost, the story is incredible, it is not the “story” that didn’t resonate with me, but rather the narration. I just felt like the romance portion of this novel was so cringy on the audible version. This was my first romance novel via audible, and not sure if it is really my thing. It is very bizarre to have a man’s voice acting both the male and female roles, just adjusting his pitch slightly. I feel that really took away from my attachment to Gita, which made me struggle with the whole story. That being said, I was totally attached to Lale’s character so I wouldn’t blame the narrator.
Once I managed to get past the cringe factor, the story was really incredible. I would definitely rate it more for middle readers, neither the love or the horror rises above PG-13. The story made living in the concentration camp seem somewhat bearable. Don’t get me wrong, it was still horrendous, but you can tell that Lale is so focused on his love for Gita that it seems to overpower his memories of the horror they had to endure. You can’t fault Lale for that in the slightest, it is probably one of the things that kept them both alive and sane enough to keep living.
One of the pieces I loved about Gita’s story, were the friendships she developed in the women’s camp. Those women saved her just as much as Lale, they saved each other to be honest. There is something to be said about romantic love, but the love between female friends is a force to be reckoned with, and can defy all odds.
Lale was a very interesting character, he definitely seemed to be a ladies man coupled with charisma and extreme intelligence. What I loved the most about Lale was his sense of loyalty. Once he was in love with Gita, that was it for him. So many opportunities that he could have been unfaithful to Gita (even when they were separated after leaving the camp), Lale never gives up hope about being reunited with her. It is a love story at its greatest, one which Lale only decided to share with the world after Gita passed away, a story that he felt needed to be shared, but only so he could be reunited with Gita.
I would recommend this book, however, I think it would be much better in print. I still think I may get the print version someday and read it again, I just have a feeling it will mean more to me with my own tone and inflection. Keep in mind this was written by Heather Morris to tell Lale’s story, adding a narrator to it as well, seemed to make it lose some of the heart.
Distant Bookends 