1944, Germany: After years of hiding from the Nazis, Rachel Epstein and her little sister Mindel are captured by the Gestapo and sent to the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. The only ray of light for either girl is that they are together and have each other.
But on arrival they are separated. Rachel is sent to work in a brutal factory whilst four-year-old Mindel is sent into the so-called "star" camp for Jewish prisoners. All on her own, she has no chance of survival-unless she can find someone to take care of her.
But the only person willing to help is barely older than she is. Will that be enough to keep Mindel alive, until she can find her sister again?
Separated by barbed wire, and treated brutally by SS guards who don't consider them human beings, can the orphaned sisters ever dare to hope that they'll find their way back to each other? And to freedom?
A completely heart-breaking, utterly gripping tale of courage, loss and overcoming impossible odds, perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Orphan's Tale.***
Mindel walked as fast as her little legs would carry her to keep up with her big sister. TWO SISTER, BERGAN-BELSEN, GERMANY, APRIL 1944
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(@Bookouture, 25 March 2021, 259 pages, ebook, #ARC from the publisher via # NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogTour 27 March)
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This is a new author for me. Not Without My Sister broke my heart so much. I've read historical fiction set around the same time dealing with WWII and the actions of the Nazi's but not any that's actually set in and around the Nazi camps focusing on the exploits of the persecuted Jews. This was new territory for me. The book tugged at my heart-strings early on when Mindel and Rachel are separated and refused to let go until I finished and I'd cried myself hollow. Hats off to the author for writing something so haunting and brutal yet full of hope and love. I loved the fact the chapters alternate between Mindel and Rachel's POV as they each search for other while trying to survive the camps. This is haunting, riveting read.
